Days at The Namikaze-Uzumaki Household
by Maplez12
Summary: AU. In which the youngest Namikaze-Uzumaki charms her way from start to finish with unprecedented cuteness. Overprotective brother and parents in all steps of the way. Maybe world peace isn't so far off after all?
1. Chapter 1

**Days at the Namikaze-Uzumaki Household**

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 **Chapter One: Birth**

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 **Disclaimer:** I own only the OCs.

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This shouldn't be difficult for one Namikaze Minato. He passed this stage already when his son was born. But he still finds it hard to keep calm instead of pacing around in the hospital's corridor before the surgery room as he listens to his wife's pained screams in the middle of the birthing process. While the situation is a whole lot easier than during Kushina's first childbirth since she is no longer a jinchūriki now, even that isn't enough for him to stop worrying.

"Tou-chan, will Kaa-chan be okay? Baby coming soon?" little Naruto gazes up at his father as he swings his tiny legs back-and-forth with his pent-up energy on his seat.

It's been hours, he doesn't know exactly, since his Kaa-chan enters the room and letting out scary sounds. Naruto is excited for his new sibling but he also worries for his Kaa-chan. She seems to be in awful pains. He promises to be good and waits for her to deliver his younger sibling. He is sitting quietly, not really moving away from his spot since he first arrived. When is his Kaa-chan coming with his little sibling?

Minato pauses in his pacing as he smiles at his young son, patting his head to what he hopes comforts the blonde.

"Soon, Naruto-kun," it's what he hopes for as well.

He can do nothing to help Kushina in there and listening to her laboured breaths wear him down. In times like these he truly realises how amazing women are, just like how Biwako-sama told him three years ago.

Another shout is heard from Kushina before everything seems to still. A short moment afterwards, and comes the cries of a newborn. The baby is born.

The door to the surgery room opens to reveal one of the nurses, smiling gently, albeit tiredly.

"Uzumaki-san has safely delivered a baby girl. Congratulations Hokage-sama. This way, please," she directs the two befuddled males entry.

The surgery room is connected to the corridor which houses bed rooms for mothers who have just given birth, and that's where the nurse leads them to. Minato has calmed down visibly but his fingers are still twitching now and then. Little Naruto's eyes seem to shine at the prospect of seeing his new little sister soon, along with his Kaa-chan. The trip doesn't take a minute but it feels longer for the two males.

The nurse opens the door to show the red-haired woman appearing exhausted but happy. Tiredness is written everywhere on her features while happiness radiated off her as she cradles a tiny bundle close to her.

"Minato, Naru-kun," she smiles as she motions for the two to come closer.

Leaving the room to offer some privacy to the family, the nurse giggles softly as she watches how the two males are entranced as their gazes permanently locked onto the little newborn. The baby is adorable, as young as she is, the nurse can tell that she inherits her parents' genetics. Which can only mean that she's going to be a definite looker in the times to come.

"Kushina..." Minato whispers, his emotions radiating off his tone as he slowly reaches for his wife, her hands that are cradling their youngest child and places his warm hands over hers. He peers at the bundle and is overcame with pure joy.

"She is beautiful..." he breathes lowly, almost unheard.

Before he has more time to appreciate the little beauty that is his daughter, the toddler next to him whines and wails as he tries and fails to lifts himself up the bed so he can see his baby sister.

"Tou-chan! I can't see imouto-chan!" he pouts petulantly at his father with accusing stare.

Minato chuckles as does Kushina, both visibly amused by their son's antics.

"Alright, up we go, Naruto-kun," he chimes as he bends down to lift his son, soon levelling his gaze with his baby sister.

From this height, Naruto can see his baby sister is awfully tiny and her fingers are even more so. She is pale like his Kaa-chan's whereas he takes after his Tou-chan's complexion. Her hair colour he can't tell, it isn't bright golden like his and his Tou-chan's nor is it like his Kaa-chan's blazing crimson. In all, she appears extremely delicate and fragile, he's afraid he would break her if he holds her too tight. Kaa-chan often says he has a vice-grip and whatever that is, he's sure it's not good for his imouto.

Completely taken and transfixed with the new life before him, Naruto stays frozen as he studies everything about his young sibling; her tiny nose and rosy cheeks, thin eyebrows and long-framed eyelashes. He's about to question the colour of her eyes when as if in slow motion, the pools of translucent blue flutters open to stare at darker shades of blue orbs, effectively freezing his time to a stop.

"Woah... Naru-kun, you get the privilege to see her eyes first! This is her first time opening her eyes!" Kushina nearly gushes and coos at her adorable children interacting with one another.

Without missing a beat, Minato cranes his neck to get a better angle to the view. Even with his effort, the little baby only has eyes for her older brother. She ignores her father's desperate attempts to get her attention and look at him.

"Imouto-chan..." Naruto manages a whisper, his own finger now touching hers and on instinct, she grasps his, not too tight. The warmth from the tiny bundle of life transfer to him, it's so comforting that soon an ear-splitting grin spreads on his face, only joy and bliss present on his features.

"Yosh! I'll definitely be the best Onii-chan ever, dattebayo! We'll be together forever, imouto-chan!" he exclaims loud enough for everyone in the room to hear but not enough to startle the newborn.

Her response has been a series of incoherent yet delightful gurgles directed at her brother before her eyes once again flutters closed.

It is then that both Minato and Kushina know that their family is growing and their happiness even more.

 **(_O O_)**

Three teenagers are walking side by side under the darkening sky of Konoha, on their way to visit the newest addition to their sensei's family in his house, near the outskirt of the town. The young Hokage opts to continue living in his humble abode instead of moving into the Hokage's Residence where the Sandaime is living in now following his adamant refusal.

Uchiha Obito, member of the former Team 7 under Namikaze Minato is humming with his arms slack behind his head. He has seen his sensei, who is Hokage just yesterday in his office and he swears the older shinobi was floating on air with bliss written all over him. He mentions this to his teammates, mostly to the caramel-haired girl beside him since the other is unresponsive most of the time.

"Minato-sensei was literally floating! I can even see flowers around him!" Obito exclaims, disbelief lacing his voice while sneaking a glance at his long-time crush.

The kunoichi of the group, Nohara Rin, is a soft-spoken and gentle girl. Her giggle chimes melodiously, "Sensei seems especially happy to be having a baby girl this time. Naruto-kun also speaks about his little sister a lot."

Obito immediately grimaces at that, recalling the countless times he bumped into the boy this past few days and how he spouted nothing but his amazing, adorable, cute and lovely little sister in loud, exuberant voice. His poor ears.

"It's been three days since Kushina-san gave birth. I haven't visited her yet," Rin notes with slight shame. This is the first day the baby is brought home and as she was on a mission, she hasn't seen the little princess.

"I have been held up with few errands myself..." Obito admits, errands which actually consists of babysitting his cousins and helping some elderlies with their lawns and or groceries. As a jōnin, there're naturally better missions for him, but he's on a break. He turns to his silent teammate, prodding a response.

"How about you, Kakashi?"

With a nonchalant shrug that seems to take too much effort out of him, he replies blandly.

"I had just finished my ANBU-mission. Unlike a certain someone," he sees the need to say the last part.

Which doubtlessly, irks Obito and the two go at it as they usually do as Rin shakes her head at both of them before reminding them to be on their best manners later because childbirth is an agonising process. As an experienced medic-nin who helps in the Konoha Hospital as her past time, she knows what she's talking about.

"So... What's the name of the baby?" Obito huffs as he eyes the caramel-haired kunoichi from the corner of his eyes. The little blonde has certainly spewed out the name, but he tuned out most of his blabbering.

This isn't well-received by Rin.

"Mou, Obito-kun. It's Miruku. Namikaze Miruku," she lightly chides the male.

Kakashi perks up at the name before he hums lowly.

"Hmm. Sensei's daughter inherits 'Namikaze' instead of 'Uzumaki' like Naruto, eh?" he muses.

Traditionally, children will inherit the clan of the father, in special cases, it's the mother's. Naruto is special because his mother, Kushina, is one of the few remaining Uzumaki and thus carries on her heritage instead of his the Namikaze. However, the Namikaze Clan itself isn't a very big clan, in fact it's the opposite. That's probably why the second child takes on 'Namikaze' instead of 'Uzumaki'.

"Minato-sensei said that it's the clan's lineage preservation," Rin confirms.

On the other hand, Obito is wondering about something else. His eyebrows are pulled together as he's seemingly in deep thoughts.

"...Did sensei... actually name his daughter 'Milk'?" he manages to say with complete bafflement. It's not the first time he can't understand what exactly goes through his sensei's brilliant mind.

Rin sweatdrops and chuckles nervously at this. Even she herself has no idea what her sensei is thinking about sometimes. Minato is a good sensei, a caring and responsible sensei. However, she has nothing good to offer about his naming sense.

His other student, Kakashi, seems to agree with her thought as he sighs in response. "Minato-sensei never has nice naming sense..."

Even Naruto isn't exactly lucky in that department. A 'fish cake', really? What was his sensei thinking? He later discovered that the name is a reference to Jiraiya's book, the Tales of The Gutsy Ninja, but the 'fish cake' stuck. It's still a wonder that his famous jutsu is named decently unlike his usual... creativity.

"I think it's something along this line; 'Mi' from 'Minato', 'Ru' from 'Naruto' and 'Ku' from 'Kushina', thus Miruku," Rin tries to salvage the situation with a shaky smile.

Although, she heard from her sensei directly that he would have named her 'Minako' given the chance, and Naruto would love his name on his sister, thus 'Naruko', not much difference there, while Kushina favoured 'Shizuku', a name with many meanings depending on the kanji used.

"I still think it's silly," Obito argues, frowning. "When I have a daughter, I'd pick a beautiful name for her!" he exclaims, nodding.

As usual, Rin indulges him with a smile as she leans forward in curiosity.

"Mm. And what name would it be?" she asks.

Obito begins to blush fervently at the closeness, his reply coming out in stutters and squeaks, "O-O-Of c-course, s-s-something l-like Ri—"

"We're here," Kakashi remarks nonchalantly, effectively cutting off Obi-Rin's moment.

The heat coming off from Obito changes from one of shyness, to that of anger at his teammate's interruption. He appears ready to explode in any seconds.

"KAKASHIIIII!" he howls with rage.

 **(_O O_)**

Hatake Kakashi isn't the emotionally attached type. He's the aloof, lone-wolf type according to his shinobi peers. Or so he would think. He himself doesn't think he's going to care for more individuals, at least not so easily.

That all changes when he is subjected to the bluest eyes he has ever seen on a breathing form. Tiny pudgy limbs seemingly trying to reach him, and smothered gurgles directed at him.

He melts right there and then.

At three-days-old, Miruku places, and at the same time, loses her first chaste kiss to Kakashi. Minato has never been more thankful that his silver-haired student wears mask over his face. Kushina and Rin giggles while Obito snickers.

Naruto has his hands on his cheeks as he shrieks in terror before his index finger points at the offender indignantly, shouting that he will never acknowledge the silver-haired shinobi anywhere around his baby sister.

"He is a pervert!" his finger stays pointed defiantly at the older male holding his baby sister, yelling as he does so.

The statement is followed by silence as everyone in the room eyed the now stiff Kakashi. After all, this is Kakashi he's talking about. The stickler for the rules Kakashi, the upholding-shinobi-codes Kakashi. To think that such word is associated with him is unthinkable.

"Uh... Why is that, Naruto-kun?" Minato steps up to his son, crouching to his eye level.

At three-years-old and through the association with a certain godfather, Naruto learns the word 'pervert' without really knowing its context but that it's a bad thing. Since after he told his mother his newest vocabulary, his godfather turns up the next day all blue and purple as he begged him not to repeat that word ever in front of Kushina if his godfather is to live.

"This onii-san reads the same orange book Sage-jiji has! I saw it, dattebayo!" Naruto exclaims, sure of what he had seen.

He will never mistake that book for another. Kaa-chan makes sure to get him to memorise the book and to strictly avoids it until he comes of age, and even then, she still wishes he would still stay far away from it. It's one of shinobi's prohibitions, she would say.

As only honesty could be heard in the three-years-old boy, the case is closed almost immediately. And following that just as quickly, is the retrieval of the little princess from the bad wolf's arms who stares longingly at his furthering object of adoration.

The next day, the neighbours surrounding the Namikaze-Uzumaki household hear the frustrated screams of the fiery housewife who has just discovered a simple note and an empty cot where the four-days-old baby girl was.

 _'Miruku is with me. -Kakashi'_

 **(_O O_)**

The self-proclaimed green beast of Konoha is shrouded with glooms as he trudges into the dango shop where his peers usually gather at, mulling incoherently as he does so. The sight is unusual as said male is famous for his loud and eccentric behaviour and limitless energy while screaming about youth.

"What's wrong with him?" Kurenai, one of the two ladies in the group asks, more curious than concerned. It's Gai after all, there's no need for her to worry.

Asuma, the one sitting next to her shrugs it off, "Just leave him."

From his experiences dealing with the green shinobi, he knows that Gai bounces back faster than any known men. It's in his traits.

Gai turns sharply at this, his eyes on fire and his fists clenched.

"My eternal rival is weird these days!" he exclaims passionately.

"Kakashi? What's wrong with him?" Kurenai asks again, believing that if anyone is to be called weird, it'd be Gai nine times out of ten.

"I saw the man walking through the village with flowery vibe the other day," Anko coins her cents while chewing on her favourite dango. Usually, she would have followed the scarecrow to find out what made him so happy, too bad her dango wouldn't wait. That Uchiha prodigy also wouldn't keep his eyes off her sweets.

Gai cries in exasperation as well as frustration, tears springing out of his round eyes like waterfalls.

"Kakashi's been rejecting my challenges and even vanishing on me after short greeting!" he whines pitifully.

"Well, that's nothing new," Asuma mumbles quietly, knowing the two shinobi's rivalry is more on Gai's side than Kakashi's.

"Yeah. It's the usual Kakashi," Genma agrees, chewing on a senbon causing it to see-saw up and down.

Gai persists as he shakes his head. "I know my eternal rival best!" he insists.

"I saw Kakashi carrying a stuffed puppy few days ago!" he says to confirm his suspicion.

Genma doesn't quite believe him as he raises a disbelieving eyebrow at this but says nothing while Asume only sighs. Gai is always talking about Kakashi, and the group is always stuck hearing all he has to say about his eternal rival. The last time, Gai was trying to enter ANBU to follow Kakashi, kicking up a fuss because the green shinobi is just not the quiet and subtle type as required for ANBU.

Just then, the subject of their conversation passes by the street. Kakashi appears like regular Kakashi, same mask, half-lidded eyes and slightly slouched posture as he walks, but as Anko's earlier claim, he is radiating happiness and there seems to be a slight bounce in his steps. The group of friends silently stares at each other, questioning what is it they just saw.

The first to snap out of his trance is the energetic green shinobi, waving his hand as passionate as his greeting with a smile just as bright as the morning sun.

"Kakashi, my eternal rival!" he calls, running to pat the silver-haired shinobi on the shoulder, only for the intended person to poof away.

A kage bunshin.

"My eternal rival is hiding something from me!" Gai screams, seemingly wronged. This is Gai, and instead of being down, he is more determined to uncover that secret! It must be a new way of training!

Before any of them can react, Obito comes running, stopping just before Gai who is standing on the street rather then the gathered group on the dango shop.

"K-Kakashi... Did you guys see Kakashi?" he pants, trying to catch his failing breath.

"You look awful," Anko remarks as she bites into another dango, dismissing his question entirely.

Asuma takes it upon himself to answer the ragged teen, "His kage bunshin just poofed."

The helpful yet unhelpful reply caused Obito to groan in exasperation. He is so not liking having to play this game of cat-and-mouse in nearly all of his days off when he can try asking Rin out on a date or perhaps training to show Rin his manly prowess.

"What's wrong? You seem desperate," Kurenai asks, absently noting how she seems to ask that question a lot today.

Obito growls defiantly at this, glaring at the air.

"Kakashi is wrong! Everything about that bastard is wrong!" he rages.

"No, no. My eternal rival is simply amazing. It's unyouthful for you to say that of Kakashi, my friend," Gai defends the silver-haired shinobi, patting the tired shinobi on his shoulder comfortingly.

Obito turns his full-forced glare towards the fashion disaster of a shinobi, and in a split second, the Uchiha blood in him shines through with the power in his glare.

"Tell me that again after you have to look for that bastard on your days off!" he barks.

It would have worked on anyone else, but this is Gai he's talking to. And when it comes to Gai and Kakashi, Genma knows better.

"Gai always looks for Kakashi on his days off," he supplies from the side, still chewing on a senbon.

"That is correct," Gai confirms, appearing proud with that statement.

Realising that this is going nowhere and getting irritated will only get him in trouble, Obito ignores the green shinobi.

"Anyway, I need your help to locate Kakashi ASAP, or we'll be in trouble!" he turns his narrowed gaze at the group of shinobi.

" _'We'_?" Kurenai asks, her eyebrow raised in questioning manner.

"Don't you mean _'you'_?" Asuma questions, just as confused.

"Don't drag me into this," Anko grumbles, averting her attention elsewhere.

Obito is famous for his unpunctuality as well as his penchant for causing troubles due to wanting to win over his teammate and brag to his other. Which is why none of them is elated to be included in whatever case he's in now.

"Well, if Kakashi's not found soon, Red Habanero will wreak havoc in Konoha and all of us have to help with the rebuilding after!" Obito remarks, shuddering slightly. The image of nine-tailed red-haired woman with thick fury radiating off her and unreasonable behaviours scared him.

"No way," Genma shakes his head in disagreement. He doesn't see why fellow Konoha shinobi would do that.

Anko nods, "I second that."

Asuma and Kurenai are about to agree, when Obito continues.

"This is the Namikaze princess I'm talking about! She is with Kakashi, and for her, even the Red Habanero has little to no restrain!" the dread in his tone is as clear as crystal.

At this they all tensed and picture the images of Kushina, running around leaving no stones unturned as she searches for her beloved daughter. A chaos for sure.

"We're going," Asuma quickly says, standing up. Not a whole month of D-rank missions, heck no.

"This is an emergency," Anko agrees, standing up right after, her eaten dango stick between her teeth.

"Where's Rin? We need all the help we can get," Kurenai notes the absence of the sweet caramel-haired shinobi.

Obito perks up at the mention of his crush, always does.

"Rin is already on the search!" he informs.

Genma doesn't seem pleased with the situation, he clicks his tongue.

"This is getting troublesome," he mutters, not caring how he sounds like a Nara.

"My eternal rival! Just wait for me!" Gai is just happy and excited to search for his eternal rival, he is raring to go.

All six shinobi shoots off to different directions, all searching for one particular person to find the person he is with. Since Kakashi is the one they're looking for, the infamous ANBU for his superior skills, it's hard to track him if he hides himself with the intention of vanishing from existence. After long hours of search, they finally find Kakashi and the three-weeks-old baby girl sleeping soundlessly by the foot of a big tree near the park. The persistent Gai is the first one to spot him.

Little Miruku is holding on to her new favourite stuffed toy, a cute puppy plushy with Konoha's hitaite around its head and a mask covering the bottom half of his face, dark blue cloth around its body and a white-inked henohenomoheji on it.

Later that night, Naruto reminds his little sister to stay away from the bad scarecrow.

"Miru-chan. You have to listen to Onii-chan and stay away from Kaka-baka, okay? He's bad!" Naruto whispers-yells at his baby sister as they stare at one another, laying on their bellies against the soft bedding material.

Little Miruku is only three-weeks-old, and already there are individuals barred from interacting with her, courtesy of her over-protective family. Of course the child herself isn't aware of it, but the tell-tale of glimmers in her translucent blue eyes sometimes show a different story.

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 _So yeah, how is it?_

 _I'm not in the mood to write chapters for the rest of my existing stories, so I did this instead. This is going to be short stories, so no pressure. I just need a dose of cuteness that I hardly find these days, so please allow me this story._


	2. Chapter 2

**Days at the Namikaze-Uzumaki Household**

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 **Chapter Two: Baby-hood**

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 **Disclaimer:** I own only the OCs.

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Today is the day the red-haired Uzumaki had so eagerly awaited for it's the day when the little bugger that takes her baby on daily basis is sent off on a mission with at least a one-week long duration.

The day-to-day activities in Namikaze-Uzumaki household has always begins with Kushina preparing hearty breakfast for her family, mainly Minato who leaves for his office and Naruto who spends his day outside playing with his friends, Miruku only consumes milk since she is young.

It's normal up to this point.

The after is not as so because as an Uzumaki Seal Mistress, she has to devise a new protection, multi-layered seals to place on all sides of her baby's nursery. All to prevent the breaking-and-entering of the silver-haired shinobi who finds himself unable to separate from her little princess.

Kushina prided herself as one of the best Seal Mistress there is, one that hails from the prominent sealing clan of Uzumaki from Uzushiogakure. And that stupid scarecrow actually works his way to decrypt her seals after seals to reach his object of adoration every single day.

Every. Single. Day.

As annoying as it is, Kakashi is a well-known prodigy whose teacher is another prodigy and also a renowned Seal Master as well as the Yondaime and her beloved husband. Which is why Kushina feels frustrated, proud, exasperated, and more combined into one mumbo-jumbo.

At this point of time, it's simply a competition.

"My Miru-chan... Mommy won't let that scarecrow comes in today, dattebane! He's off on a mission and would be for sometime. So let's spend the day with just us, okay?"

Kushina purrs lovingly at her youngest daughter, gently running her hand through her wispy strawberry blond tufts.

In response, Miruku only gurgles and reaches for Kushina's long and attractive locks of scarlet. She is entranced with the dominant colour and wants to have her little hands at it. Maybe even chews on it to know more about it. She is a baby, no one will scold her for it. Kushina smiles at this, her smile warm and sweet.

"Isn't Mommy's hair pretty? Daddy loves it a lot," she offers a lock of her hair towards the baby who gently tugs at it.

Miruku loves the smooth texture and the feeling of something in her hand, she flashes a toothless smile at her mother along with a gurgle.

"Kawaii! Miru-chan so cute!" Kushina melts and immediately smothers her young baby girl with hugs and kisses. The baby is patient with the showered affections and doesn't sound a complain at all.

When she is satisfied, Kushina cradles Miruku in her arms, humming soft tones to soothe the baby.

"What should we do today, Miru-chan?" she mutters, walking through the hallways and to the kitchen.

Minato is busy with his work in his office and Naruto is probably playing in the playground with his friends. Although, her son may be coming home earlier today since there's no one to kidnap his baby sister and he can play with her. Naruto hates Kakashi passionately, he feels that the scarecrow takes his sister away from him.

Which is why whenever Saturday night comes and Team Minato visits for a dinner, Naruto always wraps his sister in a protective hug with a challenging glare directed at the silver-haired shinobi. Kakashi would ignore him and only stares at baby Miruku across the table instead, irritating Naruto even more.

"Kaa-chan, Miru-chan! I'm home, dattebayo!" Naruto announces his return cheerily, a wide grin stretching his face as he throws off his shoes messily on the porch.

"Naru-kun, welcome home! Make sure your shoes are tidy, then wash your hands, dattebane!" the matriarch of the household repeats like she does yesterday. Her son needs someone to remind him to do things properly, most of the time, that someone is her.

At his Kaa-chan's reminder, Naruto back-tracks to the porch and stops when he sees the mess he made with his one shoe, its soles facing up on his left-hand-side and the other has its soles facing to the right on his right-hand-side and there's at least an arm distance between both shoe.

A mess indeed.

Naruto scratches his neck sheepishly before he tidies his shoes to mirror his Kaa-chan's shoes, side-by-side, soles flat on the floor, and the shoes pointing to the doors to make it easy for when she goes out. When he is satisfied with his work, he nods in approval, grinning widely.

Next, young Naruto dashes towards the bathroom, tip-toeing to reach the child's door handle his parents had installed for him, and later, Miru-chan. He makes sure to close the door softly when he usually rams them without much care. Miru-chan is easily startled since she is a baby, that's why as a responsible Onii-chan, he has to be careful.

He climbs on the child-ladder to reach the sink and washes his dirty hands from when he was outside and touching just about everything. Again, Miru-chan is a baby, and she isn't yet resistant against disease, so the older ones have to be more mindful so she doesn't get sick. He doesn't quite get it, but being sick isn't nice even when his Kaa-chan cooks him anything he wants, so he doesn't want Miru-chan to fall sick.

"Kaa-chan, I'm all done, dattebayo! Where's Miru-chan?" he shouts from the bathroom, his hands all dried up using the towel hung nearby.

By the time his words reach Kushina, the boy himself is already standing by the door to the living-room-dining-room-kitchen combined, that sunny grin in his sun-kissed face.

The first to react is Miruku, who lights up at her brother's appearance and gurgles happily while trying to reach out to him. Baby Miruku is now one-month old and her all-time-favourite is her most-devoted Onii-chan who adores her immensely.

Minato has been complaining about how his baby daughter is liking her brother more than her father and that it's unfair that his son has more time to play with her when he is stuck stamping papers at the tower. His loyal subordinates have all lent ears to his 'whining', albeit having no choice in the matters.

Other then Minato, there's at least one more person who is less than delighted with this news. Kakashi was gone on a two-days mission as Miruku's number one big-brother figure and returned as number two. The day after, the heartbroken Kakashi was sorely dejected and depressed that his peers couldn't help their laughters.

"Ah! Aah!" Miruku calls out to her Onii-chan from her Kaa-chan's arms, amusing the latter.

Naruto looks perfectly content at the affections his baby sister is showing him, and him alone. None of that annoying pervert who is a disguised old man prowling around his baby sister.

"Aww, Miru-chan! Onii-chan is here now, dattebayo! I'm home, Miru-chan!" he coos with his arms wide open as he runs dramatically towards the young baby.

Kushina watches fondly as her son carefully plucks her baby daughter from her arms, to his. Naruto is slightly struggling with the added weight but he perseveres and lifts the baby by the crooks of her arms so they are on the same eye level. They share the 'Uzumaki' grins, wide and bright that the intensity remind one of the sun.

The young mother giggles softly at the two children playing together, Naruto is telling his sister about his adventure earlier in the day while the younger one puts on this attentive face with her eyes wide unblinking.

Times like this, Kushina can really feel the hard-won peace that Konoha acquires after countless losses and hardships. Her husband has worked arduously throughout the years from the moment he picked up the mantle and the hat, to maintain good relation with the other Hidden Villages no matter how difficult it was.

No one in Konoha can forget when in accordance to the peace treaty between Konohagakure and Kumogakure, the Raikage suggested a trade of kekkei genkai, one of Konoha's for one of theirs, which was simply ridiculous and unheard of although not unexpected.

It's been a long known fact that the Raikage had his eyes on the dōjutsu of the Hyūga and Uchiha for its prowess and he was persistent and unrelenting. The Yondaime Hokage, after many meetings, few veiled threats, some cups of sake followed with 'friendly' spars here and there, managed to change the pact into something more accomodating and humane.

The Hyūga and the Uchiha's distaste for the Kumogakure is not to be publicly mentioned though.

No one can blame them after the overt announcement the Kumogakure's ambassador made about wanting their kekkei genkai as a trade-off for peace treaty, but no one wants to start another war, so they keep the swearing close to the heart.

Speaking of which, Kushina has to wonder about her dear Uchiha best friend who is a young mother just like her. As the matriarch of her very traditional clan, the woman is every bit sophisticated and demure while also hiding that edge of elite kunoichi as she goes about her daily activities.

Uchiha Mikoto rarely spends her time outside of her clan compound with her motherly duties keeping her most often than not and Kushina has been doing the same since baby Miruku was only recently born and need to be separated from the outside environment for a while.

Miruku is now one-month old though, that's enough time to take her out for a walk to visit her dear friend and her children, right? Beside, since when can an Uzumaki be expected of patience? One might as well hope for gold raining down from the high sky.

With that decided, Kushina happily claps her hands, surprising her two children.

"Now, children! Kaa-chan has a plan today and you two are going along with me, dattebane!" she grins at them, leaning over so her head looms over the little ones.

Naruto blinks uncertainly, the smile on her face is anything but good news for him because whenever his Kaa-chan has that smile, she always has something in her mind and his Tou-chan told him they are rarely anything good.

"...Uh, maybe I can take Miru-chan to visit Tou-chan at the tower? Y-You can go do that plan without us! W-We don't mind, dattebayo! K-Kaa-chan has to enjoy her life too, r-right?" he stutters nervously, automatically taking a step backwards.

If not himself, at the very least, Naruto wants to keep his baby sister safe from whatever his Kaa-chan has in mind. Miruku is Kaa-chan's precious daughter, so she won't do anything harmful, right?

...Doubtful.

His Kaa-chan once handed him to that huge grumbly old toad his Tou-chan summoned for a 'ride' because he was being especially naughty that day.

There's no way Naruto is letting his imouto suffers that horrible experience. He still can't help the shivers whenever he sees a frog! Although he has to admit, the therapy the old hermit is putting him on is certainly working, specifically when he gave little Miruku this cute, extremely adorable, toad-onesie, to wear.

Ohh, his imouto was just insufferably adorable that day, everyone had to agree.

"Of course not, dattebane! You have to be there, you two are the main stars for today!" Kushina huffs as she plucks out baby Miruku, leaving Naruto frowning.

The word 'stars' did perk him up, after all, he is still a three-years old boy who has this hero-syndrome.

"Stars? Me and Miru-chan?" he asks, his eyes taking the sparkling look.

Kushina nods sagely at her son, her daughter in her arms.

"It's 'Miru-chan and I', Naru-kun, that aside, of course, dattebane! I said it, didn't I? Kaa-chan is going to take you someplace and someone nice!"

Naruto is still hesitant, the memories of the giant toad resurfacing and he just has to make sure that this time is different.

"...No big toad?"

The thoughts running through his mind is so obvious to Kushina that she has to hid a laugh.

"No, of course not, Naru-kun. Let's have lunch then head out, okay? Kaa-chan made ramen today!" the cheer in her voice is unmistakable.

If there's one thing certain of the Namikaze-Uzumaki household, it's that ramen is their national dish. It holds especially true for the Uzumaki-half.

 **(_O O_)**

Uzumaki Naruto is walking beside his Kaa-chan, his hand in hers as he waves his free hand to greet the vendors owner with as much energy as he can muster. Being the Hokage's son brought him the popularity and he has the mind to return the friendliness of everyone around him, even if it's all due to his Tou-chan.

Hokage is great, young Naruto doesn't doubt it in the least. It's the position he's gunning for after all. One day, he will be on top and everyone is going to see him as Naruto the Hokage not Naruto the son of the Hokage.

And of course Miru-chan will be so proud of her Onii-chan!

"Kaa-chan, where are we going?" he prods her with his questioning gaze.

Naruto has spent his whole life exploring the village but he had never been around this part before. They are now in the less crowded area because if he remembers right, then this district belongs to clans residency which explains the lack of civilians.

With her one arm cradling baby Miruku, Kushina turns to face her curious son, grinning wide.

"We're going to see my friend, Naru-kun! She is my best friend! You're going to like her, dattebane! Of course, Miru-chan too!" she chirps, taking a moment to coo at the sleeping baby.

At one-month old, baby Miruku sleeps more often than not. The time she is awake is spent playing with her Onii-chan and frequent silver-haired shinobi, if not, then her Kaa-chan and very rarely, her Tou-chan.

Cooped in the house until now, it isn't strange that little Miruku has limited interactions with people. The only contacts she had were her Tou-chan's students, the pervert hermit and her family.

The times Kakashi broke her out of her own home though, a lot more people had seen her. All those times however, little Miruku was asleep and thus unaware. It was noted however, that the pair was inseparable.

One of his pursuers would drag Kakashi who refuses to let go of the sleeping baby from when they were found to the Namikaze-Uzumaki's residence and Miruku's baby cot. Kushina is never too happy with that.

In fact, after all that happened and done, she would glare at the silver-haired shinobi for again decrypting her seals and successfully stealing her daughter. It is all a repeat-process.

"Are you going to have that _girly_ talk Obi-nii told me about?" the innocent question comes from the young blonde.

Naruto didn't know that his Kaa-chan doesn't appreciate the wording he used because it implies that kunoichi gossips and it is somewhat a reason for shinobi to put them down despite how lithe and dangerous a kunoichi can be.

It isn't rare for male shinobi to discriminate against kunoichi simply for having more brute force and stronger physique. With that said, it's even rarer for those shinobi who run their mouth to survive an encounter with an extremely temperamental kunoichi and live to tell the tale.

Why, for one, Uzumaki Kushina makes it a life lesson for the poor bastards who dared told her weak in her face. Unfortunately for them, a trip to the hospital has always been the end result.

Trying hard to maintain a peaceful demeanour, the redhead slowly turns her head to her young son. From the looks of terror in young Naruto's face however, his Kaa-chan's efforts are proven futile.

"Tell me, Naru-kun. What did Obito-kun say about this _girly_ talk?" the words are spoken articulately in a tone so calm that it feels like the opposite.

In his young mind, all Naruto could do is pray for the teen Uchiha and wish lady luck upon him.

 **(_O O_)**

In the midst of the Uchiha compound, serene is the closest word to describe the district. The chattering crowds in Konoha's market is absent here and the atmosphere is just so peaceful.

The silence is occasionally broken by the shishi-odoshi for when the bamboo hits the rock. It's a popular decoration for the Uchiha with nearly all household having one in their garden.

It's a shame that stillness and Uzumaki does not mix.

Which explains why the Uchiha never likes the presence of a loud redhead who shouts at the top of her lungs whenever she finds the time to visit.

"Miko-chan! I'm here to visit, dattebane!" she shouts, her voice undoubtedly ringing past every house in the determined perimeter.

The lack of doorbell isn't the reason why Kushina opts to shout her arrival, a fact many Uchiha lamented.

Used to her friend's antics, the Uchiha matriarch merely opens the door with a bemused smile. The redhead is grinning at the sight of her friend as it has been a while since they last saw each other.

"Kushina," the raven-haired beauty greets fondly, pushing the door to welcome her guests, "it's been awhile. I see you haven't changed."

True to her observation, said Uzumaki is as boisterous as she was when they first met. The same sunny grin, the slight dimple in her cheeks and her loud voice.

"Miko-chan! Look, here's Miru-chan!" Kushina squeals, thrusting her sleepy one-month old with all the enthusiasm she can muster into her friend's face, "Isn't she just the cutest?! Oh, of course, Naru-kun is as adorable! My babies!"

Soft chuckles are the responses of Uchiha Mikoto, taking a look at the two children her best friend brought with her, first the baby, then the boy.

"Ah! You're Sasuke's mom!" Naruto exclaims in recognition as he points his finger quite rudely at the woman.

While Mikoto isn't offended, passing it off as Naruto's never-ending energy, much like Kushina, his Kaa-chan doesn't seem amused.

"Now, Naru-kun. That's not nice," she admonishes, a small frown on her face, one hand resting on her hip.

Emulating his Tou-chan, the blonde smiles sheepishly as he scratches his head. Minato is his son's idolised hero and his young son does his best to act like his Tou-chan. Everyone seems to find this endearing.

"Sorry, Sasuke's mom," he tells her apologetically like a good boy he should be.

Mikoto smiles as she bends down to the boy's eye level, "It's okay, Naruto-kun. You can call me Mikoto and Sasuke is training in the backyard with his brother and his brother's friend."

At the news, Naruto lits up, his grin grows wider as he thanks the newly dubbed 'Mikoto-san' before dashing into the house, mindful of his shoes placing and the rate he is going as a guest in someone's else abode.

Naruto knows Sasuke from his little adventures with his fellow children in the park. They fight a lot but everyone can see they are closer than they appeared to be.

Shaking her head at her son's behaviour, Kushina sighs. She can now see what the adults were telling her about manners when she was younger. She was like Naruto in that matter. And she can only hope little Miru-chan will take after her Tou-chan in that regards.

"So, this must be Miruku-chan," Mikoto places her finger into the little one's tiny palm, "While I understand why you only now brought her here, for the life of me, I can't figure out why I just got to meet Naruto through you at this time."

As her best friend for years now, Kushina easily picks up the underlying frown in that Uchiha's subtle tone Mikoto used. And well, she can't blame her.

Naruto was born three years ago and knowing Kushina, she would have show off her children to her friends given the chance. Fate dictated that the redhead Uzumaki had little to no time from nurturing her first child, high-priority mission needing her specialised skill-set and even helping her husband through various meetings with the Daimyo and several foreign shinobi.

With all that, Kushina had her hands full and the first few years had Naruto more acquainted with outdoors than he was indoors. Naruto doesn't seem to mind though, he has always loves running and his 'heroic' adventures.

"...Sorry for that, Miko-chan. I guess I was just sooo busy!" Kushina chuckles shakily, feeling guilty and self-conscious.

For her part, Mikoto doesn't appear angry, the retired kunoichi has always been forgiving. With a friend like Kushina and her more-often-than-not-brash-behaviour which tends to invoke troubles involuntarily, she has the benevolence of a saint.

"You owe me weekly visits for all those years you missed on, Kushi-chan," Mikoto replies fondly, using the nickname from when they were Academy-age.

Kushina brightens, ready to throw her armful into her friend only to realise of her cradled daughter at the last second.

"Careful, Kushi-chan. You don't want to rouse little Miruku-chan. Babies love their sleeps," Mikoto smirks, remembering all those times when even young Itachi turns vengeful when he missed his naps.

For all their pint-sized body, babies do possess a pair of powerful lungs enough to blast their parents' eardrums. If not that, some have found another but no less effective method to deal with their stolen naps.

The living proof amongst the many is prodigious Uchiha Itachi's own father, Head of the Uchiha Clan as well as the Uchiha Police Force, Uchiha Fugaku.

To this day, Fugaku still can't suppress the shudders whenever he recalls of that particular day when his prized son is a devil incarnate more than he is a proud Uchiha.

 **(_O O_)**

As far as Uchiha Shisui is concerned, the day starts like any other as he makes his way to his cousins' home to get a rise out of the older one and tease the younger one.

Life gets unexpectedly boring when he is not sent out for a mission and it can get repetitive even then. Peace is good and all, but he needs something to spend his time on that doesn't involve shinobi business.

Living with only his grandfather, who is very, very ancient and would not mind to whack him into oblivion if he said it within his hearing range, Shisui finds himself in need of this something he can actively devote himself on. Again, strictly no shinobi business.

These days, Shisui can't help but envy his cousins, Itachi and Sasuke for simply having one another. The two practically worships the other, devoted. He considers Itachi as his best friend as well as little brother and he knows the boy also regards him the same.

However, Shisui wishes for the devotion Itachi has for Sasuke and the vice versa. That absolute endearment and adoration towards a younger sibling, adorable and childish, which the Uchiha prodigy doesn't quite fit at.

Then comes along the surprise when the best friend of the Uchiha's matriarch visits with a little bundle in her arm with the familiar blonde in her hand when he's conveniently watching Itachi training Sasuke in the house.

Needless to say, the Shunshin no Shisui never moves faster than he did before.

"Kushina-sama! Can I take her home with me? Very, very please? With a cherry on top?"

The Uchiha jōnin begs as he vehemently protects the bundle in his arms, the infamous dōjutsu feared in the battlefield reduced to a pair of watery eyes of a child throwing his first temper tantrum as he gazes up at the amused adult female.

For everyone, sans Naruto, the scene is indeed amusing. What's more with the regaled Shunshin no Shisui whose name strikes fear into the heart of his enemies, here on his knees as he asks to be granted a favour.

Kushina herself is having trouble keeping her laughters. It seems her baby daughter has begun collecting her fair share of devotees. If this continues, she won't have to worry about lacking future son-in-law prospects.

Naruto isn't happy. With Kakashi stealing his imouto's attention during most of the days, he has little time with his imouto already and now this unknown shinobi is prostrating himself for his imouto? Uh-nuh. No can do.

The little blonde was ready to scream his protest and get the Uchiha to back off his precious imouto, only to find himself rambling incoherent noises as his mouth got covered by an unknown hand.

Said hand belongs to Itachi, who is trying hard not to let his amusement shows on his face. Being two years younger than the kneeling male, he often suffers mild humiliation from the teasings the older Uchiha did especially when he was younger and thus unsuspicious.

"Aniki?" Sasuke blinks his huge eyes at his brother, confused. For the first time, Itachi doesn't respond to his call.

Uchiha Itachi may not be particularly vindictive, but he enjoys returning favours when it's due. And this spectacle before him allows him just that.

"Shisui-kun," Kushina begins, amusement bouncing in her voice, "I can't just let you have my daughter. I worked hard for her, you know?"

"I'll take good care of Miru-chan! I'll feed her thrice a day! Even walk and bathe her! Please, Kushina-sama!" Shisui pleads his case, desperately latching into baby Miruku who is trying her hardest not to fall asleep, and failing.

Kushina frowns at this, "Miru-chan's not a dog, Shisui-kun. I seriously need to be home soon, dinner won't cook itself, dattebane!"

Despite knowing it was a lost cause, Shisui still won't back down. Not when he finally finds someone to adore and devote himself into. Little Miruku is just so innocent and he knows every love he pours into her, he would receive in the same amount if not more.

Sighing, Kushina makes up her mind. Uchiha is stubborn, and even gentle Mikoto will fight to the end when it involves certain something. It doesn't happen often, but when Mikoto adamantly wants 'A', even if Fugaku wishes for 'B', he would never get his hands on it.

"Tell you what, Shisui-kun? Miru-chan needs her nap so you can take your case to Minato-kun. If he gives you the 'okay', go ahead and take her tomorrow. For now, we need to be home, dattebane."

Against his better judgement, Shisui lets his hope blossoms. In receiving Kushina's blessing (which really isn't), he momentarily forgets how scarily protective his Hokage is. So as he hesitantly parts with his newfound love, he sets his own path of doom which inevitably widens the gap of their meetings.

The next time Uchiha Shisui meets Namikaze Miruku, three-months will have passed.

Simply because he made the grave mistake of asking for the Hokage's daughter directly in front of his face (who ironically won't remember him upon his return) and thus sentenced into a high-risk, long-time mission in an unknown land far from Konohagakure.

In those months, no one will heard from Shunshin no Shisui, causing various rumours to sprout about. Some say he committed a crime so grievous against his Hokage, he was exiled.

Only a handful few knows better.

* * *

 _So yeah, how is it?_

 _Cute enough? Or is it the opposite? Oh well, hope you enjoyed it!_


	3. Chapter 3

**Days at the Namikaze-Uzumaki Household**

* * *

 **Chapter Three: First word**

* * *

 **Disclaimer:** I own only the OCs.

* * *

The life of a Hokage is often lonely. A position at the very top where you are the one in command of your whole village can cause that to a person. Spending most of your time in an old tower as you sign paperwork after paperwork while questioning which idiot put forth this moronic proposal is just a given.

Thus family becomes something irreplaceable for Namikaze Minato, the Fourth Hokage since Konohagakure's founding. Unfortunately, as the Hokage he rarely has time to be with his precious. His beloved wife has lodged complains, literally. There's a separate stack of paperworks courtesy of his wife.

But today. Today is different.

Naruto is having his so-called adventures scouring every inches of Konoha with his merry band of friends. Kushina is at home, brainstorming for protective seals to triumph over his student for the next time he comes over uninvited.

And Miruku, his adorable little princess is sitting on the lap of her ever loving Tou-chan as she gnaws on a chewing toy Kushina packs them with while he fights away the monstrosity of every Kage which is paperwork.

Yes, today is different. Minato is not alone in this tower and he has his daughter to coo at and pamper.

"It's been a while since it's just the two of us. I missed this, Miru-chan," he lightly pokes her chubby cheek, a loving smile adorning his face.

Baby Miruku is unusually energetic today. The young child loves her sleep above all else and would tear up if someone wakes her up before her due time. Naruto is the exception to that rule for he is her favourite and always has a sunny smile when she sees him.

"Ah!" Miruku grabs on to her Tou-chan's finger, her two tiny hands grasping it tightly.

Warm. Little Miruku loves the warmth around her, her Tou-chan's, Kaa-chan's, Onii-chan's, Kakashi's and many others. As her eyesight is blurry, she responds best through touches. The change of texture, heat and shape. Sound is another she reacts to better.

At two-months old, Miruku's movement is pretty limited but she can still flash those toothless smiles, lifting her feeble arms and kicking her tiny feet. She barely throws a tantrum as there's a scarce of things that truly bothers her to the point of crying unreasonably.

Minato nearly melts at his daughter's adorableness. Naruto was impossibly cute when he was Miruku's age, but somehow, if possible, his daughter looks positively so much more precious. Is it because she is his to protect?

As Naruto is a boy, he is going to grow up into a fine man who will then protect his loved ones, often the first line of defense. Miruku on the other hand, while still growing up to be a graceful yet deadly kunoichi, will be more suited to creating lives than taking them.

The young Hokage can't really explain it. He just feels that no matter how strong Miruku's going to be in the future, she will always be his little girl. Of course, Naruto is his forever little boy too. It's just that he knows that a time will come when Naruto no longer needs his protection, that he will be a man of a bigger stature than he is. The same can't be said for Miruku.

Minato feels the same for Kushina, no matter how lethal a force she is on the battlefield, she will always be his love, one he has sworn to protect. The protectiveness is strong towards the ladies, more so than for Naruto. It's probably his man's instincts.

Simply said, Miruku is precious.

"Ahhh!" said baby now has a paper in her tiny fist yanked from the stacks on the desk in her Tou-chan's momentary lapse of focus, crumpling the innocent sheet.

"Ack! No, Miru-chan! Tou-chan needs those!" Minato hastily scrambled to save what is left of the lone paper, careful, not wanting to risk a paper-cut on his baby daughter.

The paper stacks Miruku took her paper from has shifted considerably when she forcefully snatched her spoils, but remains standing albeit not respectfully like its neighbours which are ram-rod straight.

"Nuuu!" Miruku frowns —an adorable scrunching of her adorable face in the eyes of her Tou-chan— as she clutches tighter to her new toy.

Minato almost backs down when he sees her expression, he can't deny Miruku's childish whims most of the time if not always. Not now when she is pulling that cute little pout and looking at him with those eyes! Nu-uh.

"M-Miru-chan..." he stutters, slightly pinkish in the face as his whole movement froze, one hand still holding the other end of the paper.

Miruku doesn't move either, she holds her Tou-chan's cerulean blue eyes with her own, as if daring him to take her newest toy. The space between her eyes is creased as she frowns, tiny lips jutted out and round cheeks puffed. Fortunately for her Tou-chan, no tears is involved. As the man feared by the entirety of Iwagakure's shinobi can break down into panic if his daughter has even the slightest watery eyes.

No one knows exactly how long the scene has gone on, but the silence is broken by a certain shinobi who has been staring at the two and waiting not so patiently for the past two minutes. This, the same man who is a known genius, master of the most difficult shinobi arts and on a calibre of his own in space-ninjutsu?

"...Minato. This is just... pathetic. You are so whipped. Kushina isn't the only one, eh?" Jiraiya, the godfather of his prodigious student's children coughs into his fist. He has one foot resting on the windows' ledge, and the other on the roof and his eyes on the two other people in the room, excluding the ever watchful eyes of the faithful Hokage's ANBU guards.

Startled, Minato turns so quickly his neck might snaps, "S-Sensei!" he greets, flustered and embarrassed for being caught in such a situation by his sensei.

Ah, everyone will know of this moment by sunset. _Silly Hokage-sama,_ everyone will say. Minato is beginning to feel depression closing in. Suddenly, a purple cloud of gloom hangs above his head, everything else forgotten as he mulls out his Sensei's gossiping habit, stupid paperwork and making those papers a mission.

"Yo," Jiraiya hops in, his eyes straying from Minato's now slouched form, to Miruku's inquisitive gaze. He blinks in surprise.

Despite him being her godfather, Miruku doesn't know the white-haired man before her well enough. She has felt his slightly awkward and rough touches against her skin during her sleeps, but they are rare and very few. His loud, boisterous voice however, she hears often around her Onii-chan.

"Uh, hello there, Miru-chan. Good day?" Jiraiya asks, feeling like he has to say something, anything, to that innocent yet awaiting face.

Miruku is not capable of replying but she is not even reacting to the man's greeting. She only stares at him, making the war-hardened shinobi squirms under her gaze, a baby in her two-months of life. After she is seemingly satisfied, she blinks and returns her attention to the paper in her hand.

Feeling like the world-sized burden is taken off his back, Jiraiya releases a breath he has been holding. That baby certainly knows how to use her presence to pressure a person. Then again, it's probably because Miruku holds extreme significance in his heart along with few others of his precious people.

Jiraiya feels a bit guilty towards Miruku. He is her godfather like he is to Naruto, but he rarely spends time with her. In his eyes, little Miruku is just so small, so tiny and fragile that he's afraid he will hurt her. Even Naruto wasn't that mini-sized when he was her age. Still, he often checks up on her from the window when she is asleep in her cot. Trivial things like that, but he watches over her.

"Hey, Minato. I met Hizashi and his son on my way here," Jiraiya calls out, humours absent from his voice.

Minato snaps out of his thoughts concerning the mission budget allocations for a new type of mission: paperwork, his eyes no longer hazed but sharp and piercing, ready to absorb informations and store them in his brain for later use.

Now having his student's attention, Jiraiya continues as he walks to his desk, "Hizashi said Hiashi is still having problems with those stuck-up Hyūga Elders. They insist the seal is tradition and necessary to protect their bloodline. Bah! What a load of bull! Everyone knows that it's for saving their sorry asses!"

Minato sighs at this, the Elders are supposed to be the wise one and guide the youngsters to the right path but it seems Konoha is not very lucky in that aspect. Even he, the Hokage, has Elders breathing down his neck and each having a demand to make Konoha great again, like when Hashirama-sama and Tobirama-sama was Hokage. Only the Sandaime is his saving grace, he knows how to handle those old crooks from experiences.

The Uchiha and the Hyūga seems to have the worst kind of Elders in the history of Konohagakure and as the Hokage, it's his duty to absolve this troubles. Minato would love nothing more but rid of those holier-than-thou-expression in those wrinkly faces.

"The Uchiha are having the same problem with their Elders. Itachi said they are being stubborn. Their coup has failed and now they are trying to plan something else," Minato remembers the coup, or the plan to exact it, the Uchiha, and his promise to settle the unrest between the clan and the village.

Shisui had been the one to inform him, along with young Itachi who suspected something amiss from his father's stressed condition and his frequent meetings with the Elders. The two young Uchiha had overheard the on-going discussion of a coup, with Fugaku trying to assure the Elders that such thing is not necessary since he trusts Minato.

Apparently, this all begins from the resentment of many shinobi who were rejected entry to the Konoha Military Police Force as being an Uchiha is the requirement to enter the work force. These shinobi form an organisation of their own, their duties mirroring that of KMPF but everyone can enter. Even civilians, as the office worker.

The Uchiha, the Elders specifically, wasn't happy about this as the KMPF was a gift from the Niidaime as a sign of trust and they are given free reign to uphold the rules and punish wrong-doers. However, these shinobi do no wrong as they help to catch criminals, from civilians to rogue shinobi, sometimes even faster than the Uchiha polices.

Having had enough of the humiliation, the Elders demanded the Hokage to put a stop to this organisation, by force if not words. Minato had actually talked to Fugaku about the KMPF allowing non-Uchiha entry to promote the relationship between the Uchiha and the village before this group popped out and they see an opportunity in this.

Trial was held and the two parties butt heads. It ended when it became clear that the Uchiha Elders had been conducting illegal businesses to line up their own pockets and used the KMPF to cover their tracks, which was why they can't have other organisation sniffing around.

The crimes they did was economical for most part, but there were several cases where they smuggled Uchiha children who would never develop Sharingan and had them sterilised before selling them to wealthy nobles. Many are willing to bid high for the children as the Uchiha are well-known for being born beauty. The money, promises of priority and absolute supports being the most common exchanges.

This is unpardonable in Konoha where children are held sacred and the Elders involved were severely punished, stripped of their titles and thrown into Konoha Strict Correctional Facility indefinitely. Few Elders managed to escape due to lack of evidences but they were far from happy. Thus began the murmurs and gazes from the villagers and after a few years of enduring, the plan for a coup hatched.

"...I am actually trying to get this passed on the next clan meeting," Minato takes out a file, putting it on his desk, "With this law, only the clan head have any says on clan's decision. Elders will be nothing but advisors and even that is on the head's discretion. This will solve the problems within the Uchiha and Hyūga," he frowns, massaging his temple as he recalls those awful headaches from working out the kinks to his plan.

Jiraiya squawks in surprise, his eyes wide, "You can do that?! Sarutobi-sensei has been trying to do that for years!" He grins, tone full of glee, "Damn, I would love to see his expression when you explain this plan of yours! Those shitty old crooks would never see this coming!"

During the clan meeting where all clan heads are in attendance, discussions are held and proposal are made for consideration. Each seat is allowed a vote when there's a conflict of interest and the option with the highest votes is the one they decided upon. This is where Minato will try to pass his law and he is certain that he will have the clan heads backing him up, especially the Uchiha and Hyūga who have always had troubles with their Elders.

There is little doubt that the three Elders who are always watching his every moves will object to this, as it will be the first step to limit their power of command even when they are not affected by this law as it refers only to the clan Elders. Sandaime will agree with him, probably one of the firsts since he knows how bad the situation is. Minato has to say, he is looking forward to this meeting. He would love to rub his achievement in their faces.

"Shishhh... sheesh...! Shiii—shi!" Miruku mumbles out gibberish but somehow similar to a word the two men in the room know well, her tiny fists crumpling the paper even more as she struggles with her uncooperative tongue.

Minato is worried now, is this really his daughter learning to talk at two-months old or just one of those coincidences? Jiraiya is even more worried, he is sweating, if his goddaughter continues her mutters, then her first word might just be the verdict to his death.

"Shii... shiiiii—tt—eee!" the high-pitch squeals filled the office with delights radiating off her tone, the meaning of the word isn't lost on anyone present.

Yup. Minato's most beloved and precious daughter has just said her supposed first word without much prodding and not to anyone's wildest expectation. Jiraiya is now as pale as the white sheet of paper in the girl's hand as he foresees his death and his shinigami bearing scarlet hair with a katana.

"...This never happened, Sensei," the solemn tone belongs to the blonde-haired man, his usually full-of-life eyes blank.

The white-haired man offers a terse nod, his posture stiff as he echoes the sentiment, "Never."

All the while, the baby girl is enjoying her paper-toy and trying to yank more of them from the stacks on the desk as hers is already wrinkled and she wants a new one. Whatever she just did, no longer her concern nor interest.

Neither of the men accounted for the presences hidden in the room and the possibility of a tattle-tale but absolutely none of them, have ever imagined that the day after, their Hokage would seem to disappear from the face of Earth and turning up the next day with his sensei, all black-and-blue.

Yondaime lives in his office for a week before finally coming home to his house. Toad Sannin spends three days longer outside of the village walls. No one asks why.

 **(_O O_)**

The day starts like any other day in the Namikaze-Uzumaki household and by noon, the lady of the family is screaming her lungs out in multitude of languages as she discovers, yet again, the empty cot of her baby girl while the perpetrator, is once again, scot-free on the other side of the village.

"Now what should we do today..." Kakashi muses as he lightly bounces the happy little bundle in his arms.

Miruku is all smiles, her toothless gums showing as she gives him her best smile. While her Kaa-chan doesn't enjoy getting her baby stolen nearly every single day, Miruku loves getting taken out for fresh air or just shown places.

Kakashi stares at the little baby in his arms, her doe-eyes huge and gleaming with innocence as she returns his stare, "...Why are you so adorable?" he questions in a deadpanned tone with adoration lacing his voice.

In response, Miruku only tilts her head at her sitter, seeing as she's only three months old and such reaction is considered normal. To Kakashi, this serves to make her infinitely cuter and he gazes at her with even more love and adoration than what's possible. She really is the apple of his eye.

These days, ANBU missions only serve as a down period between seeing and not seeing his precious, that and to keep Konoha safe for future generations like the young girl in his arms. No longer he has the fervour to complete the mission with record time just to show his prowess, Kakashi now makes sure he does it right and comes home safe, all of them.

As long as possible, Kakashi doesn't want Miruku to see blood. It is inevitable if she is to live in this world where shinobi roams but he would like to keep her untouched by the cruel side of this world until she is older, much older than Naruto is now. Children should be children, that's a notion his father always used to say and believe, Sandaime-sama and his Sensei also have this beliefs, much like the Shodaime and Niidaime.

Walking without a specific destination in mind, Kakashi and Miruku ends up at the outermost of Konoha, right where most of the Uchiha lives. Some, like Obito, chooses to live in an apartment near the shopping district and others moving into the shinobi-only apartment. Unlike before, the Uchiha are now encouraged to live amongst the village population to promote better understanding and relationship.

So it isn't long for the two to come across an Uchiha who recognises and greets them, out of courtesy if nothing else. "Good afternoon, Kakashi-senpai, Miru-chan," the young ANBU dips his head curtly, his low ponytail swishing with his moves.

"Yo. Itachi-kun," Kakashi greets with a hand-wave as he nears the blatantly staring boy. His other hand is wrapped around little Miruku, who is leaning her face towards his chest.

Itachi has of course, heard of the rumours of the strict ANBU Captain being smitten by a baby and spends his time with said baby. But seeing it is different than hearing it as he almost can't believe his eyes at the sight. Inu, or rather Kakashi, is at peace. His shoulders are relaxed, his guards down and there's this joyful atmosphere around him.

ANBU Inu never once allows his walls to be anything less than impenetrable. During missions, he is strict on others and himself more. Even in Konoha, he walks the streets with his invisible shield ready. But there's no traces of the white-haired shinobi who highly regards the shinobi codes in the man before the Uchiha.

"How rare, senpai..." Itachi makes his opinion known, the slightest quirk of eyebrows following.

Kakashi hums in response, realising but not acknowledging the befuddled tone his kōhai has taken to address the moment. He admits that this must be shocking, him of all people, coddling a generally accepted as annoying and loud creature— a baby. Before Miruku comes along, Kakashi dislikes those snotty brats who cries for attention and just about everything.

Naruto, Kakashi tolerates. The boy is his admired sensei's son after all, and the Fourth Hokage's firstborn. Kakashi remembers how much of a pest the golden-haired child was, still is. Baby Naruto's cries were shrill, more ear-piercing than those squeaky noises metals made. Snots, yes, those watery, sticky and disgusting snots. Naruto had those in spades and he didn't mind sharing them.

"A—aah?" Miruku babbles, ending her action with a tilt of her head in an effort to face the masked shinobi.

...Cute. Kakashi knows he's acting silly but Miruku is simply too adorable to not be fawned on. He still isn't sure what is it about the strawberry-blonde-haired child that endeared her to him. Miruku just happened and Kakashi never regrets it one bit.

While the pair is enjoying a world of their own, Itachi looks on with Uchiha-default expression and hidden interest. It's clear as day that the two adores each other a whole lot, which is unlike in his bestfriend's case. At this time, Itachi doesn't know where or what the infamous Uchiha is doing but he knows Shisui would be quite heartbroken to take in this sight where the Namikaze-Uzumaki youngest reciprocates Kakashi's affections and not his.

Unbeknownst to the Uchiha heir, said Shunshin no Shisui is sneezing a storm amidst the blizzard enveloping his shivering person in the middle of nowhere as he executes the ambiguous mission his Hokage assigned him. The blonde-haired Hokage might have just forgotten to mention the necessary warm outfits to prepare for his mission. Or that it is more of a punishment than it is a mission.

'...Poor Shisui,' Itachi closes his eyes for a moment as he thinks of the heartbreak the older shinobi would encounter soon. It doesn't help that the boy is fond of theatrics and Itachi is usually on the receiving end of most because Shisui believes the Uchiha heir needs more excitements.

"Isn't Miru the cutest, Itachi-kun?" Kakashi coos with an adoring smile at the baby girl, almost squealing if the Uchiha was to be blunt.

At the inquiry, Itachi takes a closer look at the tiny bundle and specifically her features. Miruku has rosy chubby cheeks filled with baby fats, round aquamarine doe-eyes, tiny pink pouty lips and small nose. Strawberry-blonde wisps atop her heart-shaped face and pale complexion like her mother's. He can see the similarities with her parents and the differences unique to her person.

No one can deny her adorableness and Itachi is the same. Still... _Sasuke is cuter,_ is his innermost irrefutable belief. Sasuke has the beadiest eyes with the sheen glimmers beneath his deep onyx pools, his smooth silky yet spiky raven black hair that compliments his eyes. The way his lips widens and eyes lights up when he sees him, the slight tremble of his lower lips when he is denied something.

Indeed, Sasuke is **much** cuter.

Ignorant to everything that is not Miruku, Kakashi doesn't realise the wayward thoughts of his kōhai. He continues to happily bounce baby Miruku in his arms until he detects a familiar disturbance which seems intent to separate him from her in close pursuit.

'This feeling...' Kakashi pauses, confusing Miruku at the sudden change. The white-haired shinobi smiles at her before raising two fingers to salute the thoughtful Uchiha heir.

"I'm leaving first, Itachi-kun. I'll see you some other time," Kakashi vanishes soon as he said that, careful not to jostle Miruku too much.

The second his senpai takes off, Itachi blinks into awareness. Years of experience tells him that someone is on the way and he is to stay until said person arrives. He speculates that the person is the reason of his senpai's abrupt departure. It isn't hard to connect the dots seeing the rumour goes to how the ANBU Captain earns himself the ire of a certain kunoichi for kidnapping her daughter nearly everyday.

True to his observation, exactly one minute later, a familiar shinobi, now jōnin, lands before Itachi with silent steps befitting his title but also loud exclamation that reverses the effect.

"Itachi! Kakashi, have you," he pants, tired from the goose-chase his teammate has led him into, "seen Kakashi?"

The Uchiha heir proceeds to stare at the exhausted mess of a cousin, well-concealed pity in his eyes. "You're one minute late Obito-san," _as always,_ remains unsaid.

The revelation has Obito cursing his self-proclaimed rival ( _definitely_ not like Gai) in multitudes of language. Another day wasted chasing after Kakashi and not with Rin, another day of Kakashi as an obstacle to his love and another day of swearing Kakashi to hell for all the troubles he brings upon him.

Most of those words, Itachi have never heard and he notes to himself to keep Sasuke away from their foul-mouthed cousin lest his baby brother learns unsavoury vocabulary when he is most impressionable.

"Kakashi-senpai and Miru-chan went that way, Obito-san," Itachi lifts one hand and a finger to point at the direction his senpai sped off to, he might have hurried a bit in an attempt to rid of his cousin and his less delightful words.

Obito snaps to attention, "Thanks, Itachi!" he grins before taking off in a lesser pace than the ANBU Captain, not noticing the discomfort of the Uchiha heir.

With a roar of promise, "KAKASHI!", Uchiha Obito exits the premise and Itachi again finds himself in his lonesome. It appears, even during his rare days of break, enjoying peace in Konoha is hardly an option. Without wars and aside from the inter-clan tensions, Konoha is still bustling with noises and problems.

 _ **"UZUMAKI NARUTO! YOU GET BACK HERE!"**_

—Ah. The Fourth Hokage's son must have, again, done his mother proud with another well-planned and well-executed prank. Naruto's stealth is in a league of his own when even the most hard-trained ANBU has difficulties subduing the three-years old boy who has recently taken it upon himself to continue his mother's legacy.

 _ **"UCHIHA SASUKE, STOP RIGHT THERE! DON'T LAUGH, INUZUKA KIBA! YOU ARE NOT OFF THE HOOK, NARA SHIKAMARU! AND WHY EVEN AKIMICHI CHŌJI?! OH KAMI, IS THAT ABURAME SHINO?!"**_

...Perhaps complete peace in Konohagakure is not possible after all.

 _At least things are interesting,_ a ghost of smile passes the Uchiha heir's lips at the thought.

* * *

 _So yeah, how is it?_

 _How long has it been since my last update?_ _Uwah... I have received mails telling me to update my stories and I assure I do receive them and did look through them all. I really need to update Rainbow Drops. Then Dreams of Life. Perhaps My Dignified Imouto. Maybe Blue Sky._

 _So. Many. Stories._

 _Unfortunately, I have an upcoming supplementary exam soon and need to hit the books soon. So let me finish my studies then you can bother me with updates after. This story is updated because there's no particular plot to follow and is mostly for comedy purpose and the fluffs, unlike the above mentioned._

 _Thank you for the continuous support despite of this lazy author. I'll try to get few updates in line. Hopefully, Rainbow Drops is next. Unless I need a refresher in the form of fluffs, then this story is likely to get an update before then._


	4. Chapter 4

**Days at the Namikaze-Uzumaki household**

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 **Chapter Four: First steps**

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 **Disclaimer:** I own only the OCs.

* * *

The home of Namikaze-Uzumaki is strangely peaceful for the day, a huge relief their neighbours don't take for granted as the tranquillity doesn't last and it is often a sign of upcoming storm, the latter many pray not to be the case for the health of Konoha's villagers. Konoha also still has some uses from her current Hokage.

"Tou-chan, Kaa-chan's really not coming back tonight? No food?" Naruto rolls so his tummy is against the wooden planks of their home, the boy is lying on the floor, something his Kaa-chan will never approve him doing.

In the same position is Konoha's beloved Yondaime, facing his son who is on the other side of the room. "Yes, Naruto-kun. Kaa-chan will be home tomorrow. We have today to ourselves, a father-son bonding time?" he smiles that one-hundred-watt smile of his.

Naruto doesn't appear happy with his knitted eyebrows and pouty lips, "What about food?" _You don't cook, not unless you want to kill us,_ is the accusation he expresses with his doubtful cerulean eyes.

"...We can have a take-out? Or we can go out, whichever works," Minato replies almost sheepishly. His wife's cooking is divine, the taste, supreme. His? Naruto's absolute refusal speaks for his skills in the kitchen.

This seems to upset Naruto, he is not the least appeased, "Miru-chan is one! No take-outs, Kaa-chan said! Outside-food is no-no, dattebayo!" he protests quite loudly, recalling his Kaa-chan's warning before she left the house earlier this morning after preparing breakfast.

As if to agree with her Onii-chan, Miruku chooses this time to make her voice heard, "Nuu! Nii-nii, nuu!" she babbles, crawling to the blonde-haired boy and nudges her head to his side, trying to slip her tiny-self under his tummy to snuggle.

Naruto allows her after a low laugh, the two children appreciates contact, the warmth whenever they cuddle with each other. So now Miruku is sandwiched between Naruto and the carpet, her head beneath Naruto's chin which is supported by his arms and her infant body covered by her Onii-chan.

It's been a while since Miruku spoke her first— _as far as everyone is concerned, it is her first_ —word and it doesn't really come as a surprise when the baby girl, with her arms in a universal pick-me-up gesture, her azure doe-eyes wide with innocence only young toddlers have and attention solely on her most favourite person in the world, her rosy lips slightly parted and: _"Nii,"_ slips out.

Minato was elated, Kushina too. Naruto, soared higher than the skies as he whooped around, eagerly and carefully picking his imouto from her crib and proceeded to do victorious dance in front of their then slightly-pouty parents. Apparently both were betting on 'Kaa' and 'Tou' for Miruku's first— _again, it is most_ _ **definitely**_ _her first_ —word.

Kakashi who returned from his mission two days later received the most grievous mental scar inflicted moments before his mission report in the Hokage Tower, by an eight-months old baby. Naruto was too happy to rub it in his face, not that he showed much with the mask covering most of it. His eternal rival later claimed that his rival was the most 'unyouthful' and his 'hip' attitude was worst than ever for three days after. On the third day, a cheerful "Ka-ka" turned over his mood faster than one could blink.

Rumoured was that Anko managed to snatch a picture of Kakashi sulking with barely visible tears pooling in his eyes during the second day after his mission concluded. Said picture was said to be as elusive as a SS-Rank Shinobi found in your bingo books. The price appeared to be sky-high and it was said that the purple-haired kunoichi was opening a super-secret auction where light couldn't reach.

Apparently, in the years of his career as a shinobi, Hatake Kakashi aka ANBU Inu has managed to earn the ire of many, his fellow shinobi, not excluding several civilians and discounting his actual enemies outside the village walls. It says 'perfect blackmail material', in the slogan.

"Hah..." Naruto sighs almost pathetically, he levels a patronising stare at his Tou-chan before looking away and sighs one more time.

Needless to say, Minato is offended and it showed in his face, "What is it, Naruto-kun?"

Low grumbles are the answer and Naruto washes his irritations by cuddling his imouto who leans into his touch. "Why must Kaa-chan go? Tou-chan can't cook. Miru-chan needs food. I need food, dattebayo," he complains.

This time the one sighing is Minato, _You and me both, son. You and me both,_ "I am not that terrible, Naruto-kun. Your Kaa-chan left notes for your lunch and dinner, it's curry today, you like it don't you?" _And apparently it's a bachelor-food due to how easy it is to cook._

"...I guess," Naruto relents, almost slumping. Almost, because he would have crushed his imouto had he did, which reminds him, "What about Miru-chan? Miru-chan can't eat curry."

The one-year old perks up at her name, nearly head butting her Onii-chan's chin, "Kaa-ree, Miru," she parrots, her blue eyes twinkling with joy and pointing her index finger to her chest.

Naruto wants to say, "Yes! Anything for Miru-chan!", after all who is he to deny his adorable imouto's wish to eat curry? But then Kaa-chan would punish him, her crimson hair seemingly defying gravity waving around like nine tentacles. Her face almost as red as her hair with a deadly spatula in her hand. And he doesn't want that. Even the strongest shinobi in the whole wide Elemental Nations, his Tou-chan, is afraid of Kaa-chan.

So with a heavy heart, Naruto frowns and says in a solemn tone, "Sorry, Miru-chan. You can't eat curry."

For the young baby who is almost never denied anything, especially by her beloved Onii-chan, his refusal comes as a shock. Miruku is young but she understands few words, some that Naruto used and enough for her to realise it's a 'no'. Her instantaneous reaction is to scrunches her face, eyes watering and bottom lips jutted up.

As the children's Tou-chan, Minato knows it won't take three seconds for Naruto to break and then he would have two kids begging him to let his youngest child eat curry. That simply won't do. Kushina would have his head. Iwa has nothing on his wife.

"A-Ah, Miru-chan loves Kaa-chan's special baby-food, doesn't she? It's tastier than curry!" Minato quickly intervenes, two seconds away from Naruto's breaking, and gaining the attention of his children.

Miruku's teary gaze shifts from her Onii-chan's to Tou-chan's. She blinks a few times before smiling and clapping her tiny hands, "Kaa. Too-wuu-et-suu."

Ever supportive, Minato grins and gently pets the baby's head at her effort to pronounce new words, her wispy strawberry-blond hair soft against his hardened palm, his hand larger than her head. "That's right, Miru-chan. Kaa-chan's special, _tokubetsu_ ," he praises her.

Naruto watches the father-daughter duo with a grin mirroring his Kaa-chan. Then he remembers Kaa-chan left without cooking anything, which means no Kaa-chan-made-baby-food. "...Tou-chan is cooking the baby-food too?" his voice low and almost afraid.

The last time his Tou-chan was in the kitchen, his Kaa-chan made him a bed on the couch for a week. The disastrous event ended with three broken china dishes which were Kaa-chan's favourites, burnt kitchen table, exploding water-sink and some new kitchen utensils to replace the unusable ones after Tou-chan's short trip to the kitchen. The stew was purple, the smell weird and the substance gooey.

His Kaa-chan decided that throwing it out directly would harm the environment and might kill several unsuspecting animals, so she sealed the 'stew' into a storage scroll before burning it with a simple katon jutsu and spreading the ashes to the wind. It wasn't a good day.

"It's just cutting banana, apple and pear and putting it into the blender. Nothing will go wrong, Naruto-kun," Minato assures his son. Kushina pinned the recipe to the fridge and he had looked at it, the directions are clear and simple, the ingredients ready. _It's easy. Even I should be able to do it._

Namikaze Minato is the Fourth Hokage of Konohagakure, the strongest shinobi in Naruto's honest opinion, wise and courageous, kind yet unyielding, furthermore, he is blessed with attractive face. A wonderful man—but a cook, he is not.

His doubt shows in his gaze, narrowed eyes and emphasised silence. Naruto doesn't wish for a repeat of the 'stew', without his Kaa-chan here, the three of them might really kick the bucket. He opens his mouth to retort and not a word out, his belly protests that it's lunchtime, loudly too.

"...Can't be helped then. Do your thing, Tou-chan," Naruto concedes, losing all his energies and hits the carpet. Miruku had ran when her Onii-chan's stomach growl surprised her that she crawled away.

 **(_O O_)**

Befitting his moniker, the Yellow Flash doesn't waste any seconds to get to the kitchen and starts cooking. To be very very safe, he follows the instructions Kushina left him to a T. Believing Miruku's baby-food is easier to make than the curry and successfully completing it would encourage his confidence, Minato starts by taking out the fruits from the fridge and dicing them before putting it into the blender.

 ***THUNK!***

"Look, look! I hit bulls-eye, Miru-chan! I am amazing, right?" Naruto boasts with a wide grin, a leather-pouch clipped to his right leg to store rubber-kunai and rubber-shuriken. He just threw a rubber-shuriken at the wooden target practice pinned to the wall of Miruku and Naruto's joint-nursery, although it's more of Miruku's nowadays.

The target practice is a regular one many shinobi, mostly genin, practise on. Only this one is less durable and meant as a toy for young children aspiring to be shinobi. The circles indicate the area of accuracy of each throw, the closer to the centre, the better.

Little Miruku merely gives her Onii-chan a big, gummy smile as she claps her hands to show her appreciation. She hasn't yet taken her first step, enjoying her freedom granted through crawling and not really craving the need to walk like everyone else. Not yet anyway.

As usual, Naruto sets his wooden figurines and Miruku's plushies around the nursery as part of his target practices and as stand-ins for the bad guys, he, the hero, will defeat to save the princess, Miruku. The story varies each time but by the end of the day, the hero saves the girl, who might be a priestess, daimyo's daughter, or like today, a princess.

 ***THUD!THUMP!THUNK!THUMP!THUMP!***

"How's that for Hero Uzumaki Naruto!" Naruto crows after his rubber-shuriken hits every targets, posing with his arms crossed, chest puffed with pride and mouth grinning. "You're safe now, princess. Thanks to this Great Uzumaki Naruto!"

More claps from Miruku, gummy smiles and repeated words, "Nii-nii, Ee-woo! Ee-mee!" the last two words referring to hero, and hime, princess.

 _ ***CLANK!CLANK!THUNK!PRANG!PRANG!***_

That... is _not_ Naruto, nor Miruku. The two children pause momentarily as they determine the directions of the noises: _the kitchen._

"...We heard nothing, Miru-chan," Naruto stares straight into his imouto's eyes, conveying his burning determination to not get involved with whatever doom their Tou-chan is cooking. Kaa-chan can handle him when she is home.

A guile-less blink is her response, so innocent and unknowing yet not questioning. Miruku innately believes in her Onii-chan and whatever he says, goes. So when Naruto continues with his spiels, she claps along.

"I have this plan, dattebayo. There's this pair of chūnin on gate guard duties," Naruto begins with a lopsided grin, his finger looping the circle-end of his pointy-rubbery kunai, " _aaaand_ I think they need many supports so they don't sleep on jobs!"

As per regulation, two chūnin are stationed next to the Great Gate to Konohagakure, intended to check everyone who enters and leaves the village. Other then recording shinobi leaving and returning from duties, merchants and the likes, they are meant to be sentries who notice first sight of danger and report to the Hokage.

Yet those two particular chūnin sleep on hours. Even Shikamaru isn't that irresponsible. Or maybe he is that irresponsible but he is Naruto's age, so Shikamaru won't be put on gate guard duties.

"I'm still brainstorming though," Naruto grumbles, frowning now as he sits crosslegged and arms folded. "I like my sparklers idea but Shikamaru said something about it being non-re-cy-cl-ab-le. I just know it'll be fun seeing them prancing with sparklers on their feet."

To succeed his Kaa-chan's shining legacy and to be decreed as Konoha's Prankster King, Naruto has to devise innovative and effective pranks. He has those in spades but sometimes he lacks the means to execute them and when he manages, they are usually unconventional. Which is where Shikamaru comes in, he provides the logical methods and serves as the devil's advocate to his unearthly ideas. Not to mention, the Nara is especially adept at determining escape routes.

So yeah, Naruto does value Shikamaru's argument despite not fully understanding this 'non-recyclable' concept. That kid knows and uses many too big of a word. He is like a walking dictionary, he and Shino. On Shino's case, it's more that it's hard to understand due to his methodical and systematic speech pattern.

 _ ***DING!DONG!***_

The sound of their house-bell ringing alerts Naruto from his musing, he shares a wondering look with Miruku and both ending the stare-off with two blinks. Oh well, guest or no guest, it's Tou-chan's job anyway. They just need to stay put unless called.

"Yo, Hokage-sama. Busy? This here the files you asked me to compile," the low, laidback voice drawls.

"Ah, thank you, Shikaku-san, Shikamaru-kun too. I was just cooking..." Naruto heard his Tou-chan says, which brings the question, 'is lunch ready yet?'.

Shikamaru offers a curt nod as a greeting, he can't be too bothered. It's his old man's business anyway, he's just here to escape his mother's nagging. Shikaku hands the folder to his Hokage then blinks as he recalls Minato saying 'he was just cooking'.

"...How's it goes? Your... cooking?" Shikaku asks, he knows the histories of the blonde's attempt in the kitchen and they aren't very nice.

Naruto and Miruku can't hear them but apparently their Tou-chan is on verge of crying because somehow, 'the curry is black!', 'it burns my eyes!', 'blender hates me', 'futon fails' and lastly, 'Kushina will kill me!'. Shikaku waits patiently until his Hokage calms down, the last one especially, he sympathises with. No one can deny Konoha's Jōnin Commander is strong, the same can be said for his fear of his docile-looking wife.

Shikamaru watches as his father soothes the distraught Hokage with back-pats. He can tell his father is amused but sympathy is also present. Shikamaru himself feels sorry for his friend, Naruto. Going with what was said, he is in for a nasty lunch or none at all. They can eat out of course but if his own mother is any indications, then their household is probably the same in that they are prohibited from eating out unless it's a special occasion or the likes. It's a mother's thing, he supposes.

"Join us for lunch, Minato. Yoshino won't mind. It's best for Naruto and Miruku too," Shikaku smirks at the now-composed Minato, as Academy-batchmates, they are quite close. Tagged along with his position is the Hokage's acting right-hand man.

Amongst their shinobi peers, Shikaku always knows that Minato will make it far. The man was kind and gentle even when he was a child but he was also determined and diligent, supported with high intelligence and willingness to put in extra efforts. Minato was actually quite frail-looking, especially when they were kids, he was slightly sensitive too. Which is why it isn't surprising for him to behave the way he did when he failed another of his attempts at cooking.

"Lunch by Yoshino ba-san?! Great! We are saved, Miru-chan!" Naruto literally jumps into the conversation with a delightful grin, bouncing the ever-happy toddler Miruku in his arms.

Shikamaru shifts his attention to his friend and the little bundle he has with him. He knows Naruto has a little sister of three-years age difference but this is his first time seeing her despite the numerous bragging the orange-loving boy had made since they know each other. The resemblance is there, with slight colour difference. Seems to be a bundle of sunshine too, much like Naruto.

"Yo, Naruto," he greets with a lazy drawl of a Nara, his hands in his pockets. Lifting it for greeting is troublesome and unnecessary.

Naruto finally acknowledges his friend's presence, he was too busy cooing at his imouto before. Besides, Shikamaru is boring most of the time. He is just lethargic, not wanting to move, preferring to nap and cloud-watch. The definite opposite of his energetic self.

"Shikamaru! You're running from your mom, ain't you?" Naruto raises an eyebrow at this, he is quite certain he is right. If there's one thing that can get his lazybutt moving, it's his mother's fury. That, and maybe a promise of a lifetime cloud-watching.

The raven-haired frowns at this, turning his head sideways, "Che. Troublesome."

Even if it's true, Shikamaru wishes Naruto won't speak of it so blatantly. It's not like Naruto isn't afraid of his Kaa-chan, they are the same in that regards. There's something about mothers that is just scary you don't want to get them angry. Besides, if he stayed home, he would have to do chores with his mother breathing down his neck rather than actually napping.

"Wee-doo-wuu-see," Miruku beams, testing the new word with her clumsy tongue.

Unlike his imouto who is happy to add another word to her vocabulary, Naruto is far from happy. There's just no way he will allow his adorable imouto to speak that Nara's catchphrase every so often. No way in hell. Miruku is a Namikaze-Uzumaki! She doesn't need the term _mendokuse_ , 'troublesome' in her dictionary!

"Aa—ah! Don't repeat that word, Miru-chan! Better, forget it now, dattebayo! It's a bad, bad word! No!" Naruto chides his little imouto who blinks owlishly at him, all the while ignoring the two amused adults and somewhat affronted Shikamaru.

Miruku bats her wide cerulean eyes at him, lips pursed as she always does when she is told 'no'. "Aa-mee? Wee-doo-wuu-see, aa-mee?" she scrunches her nose cutely.

Every part of Naruto is squealing like a girl but no one knows that because he hides his reaction well. At least he thinks he did. His imouto is just too cute and he can't help but react like he did. Still, the mere idea of his very own imouto repeating 'troublesome, troublesome' like a certain friend of his is unacceptable. Namikaze-Uzumaki should instead end their speech with occasional, dattebane, dattebayo, or the variations of it.

"Mm-hm. Dame, no, Miru-chan. No troublesome," Naruto enforces this with a firm nod, his eyes boring into Miruku's huge eyes.

It takes three seconds but Miruku returns the nod, never breaking the eye-contact, "Aa-mee. Miru, aa-mee."

Naruto's whole being lights up at this. His imouto understands! His imouto agrees with him! "Miru-chan! You are _soooo cuu—uute!_ " he sings as he holds her securely and swings her around.

At the moment, Naruto sees Miruku and only Miruku. There's no Tou-chan, Shikamaru's old man nor Shikamaru. Just him and Miruku, just the two of them.

For Minato, while the sight is adorable and heartwarming, it's lunch time and he can't afford for his children to miss their lunch. It's okay in his book to have late lunch once or twice but not in Kushina's. His Hokage's duties are tiring enough, he does not want to add another to the rising piles with a displeased spouse who can level a village if she so wishes it.

"Eh-hm, Naruto-kun? Miru-chan? Can we go now, please?" Minato coughs into his hand, flashing his thousand-watts smile that earned him as much fanatics as it does enemies.

And while his son is not within any of those two categories, the promise of edible food for his hungry stomach and his imouto's is enough to get his feet moving.

It takes a while but the group of five –accurately four, as Miruku is carried by Naruto– eventually walks out of the relatively quiet neighbourhood into a noisier street where villagers pass on their greetings to their esteemed Hokage and his right-hand man, as well as their children. Few minutes of that and they have arrived in the housing district belonging to clans, specifically the Akimichi, Yamanaka and Nara.

While Naruto is speaking quite loudly to Shikamaru, bouncing ideas of his planned prank on the two unsuspecting chūnin, Miruku seems content just staring at Shikamaru's long hair tied in a spiky ponytail. She wants to reach out, to have a feel of the black tresses and to pat and pull it. Shikaku styles his hair the same way but he is walking in front with her Tou-chan and he is much taller and so far out of reach. So Shikamaru it is.

The boy does notice the toddler's focused stare at his hair, she isn't exactly subtle. Then again, she is barely one. He can't help but ask though, so he jerks his head towards her, "What's wrong with your sister? She is staring."

Naruto takes offense for his sister, huffing, "That's just rude, Shika. Miru-chan never sees hair like yours or your old man's before. She'll get bored." Then he blinks, getting an idea and it shows in his mischievous grin and wiggling eyebrows, "Hey, you can let her touch your hair! I'm sure she'll stop then!"

"Yeah, right," Shikamaru scoffs, deciding not to pursue the matter because it's troublesome.

Unfortunately for Shikamaru, Naruto is not Naruto if he gives up so easily, "It's just hair, Shika! Miru-chan will be gentle, just a touch! It won't hurt, dattebayo!" he persists.

The walk to the Nara Compound continues with discreet conversations between the two adults, Naruto trying to convince Shikamaru by bothering him to the point of agreeing and Miruku simply enjoying the spiky hair in her vision.

 **(_O O_)**

Nara Compound speaks for every Nara in existence. The traditional settings which brings out not noble feel like the Hyūga but nature at its finest. The grasses are green and clipped short with stepping stones for people to walk on. Trees and flowers filled the clan ground, well-taken care of but still exuding the natural feel. It's no wonder why the Nara loves napping on the grassy area and are lethargic most of the time. Even Naruto won't mind an hour or two nap if it's here.

Shikamaru's house is not the biggest but it looks refined, more than the others at least. Other then that, there's not much different from one house to another. The clan head's house in the innermost section of the compound so it takes a few more minutes walk to get there. The atmosphere is welcoming, warm and definitely has a homey-feel to it.

"I like your house, Shika!" Naruto grins, nudging the other boy's arm who merely shrugs in reply.

Shikaku and Minato reach the door first, followed by Shikamaru and Naruto a close third with Miruku in tow. The older Nara hasn't even ring the bell when the door slams open, startling everyone nearby, to show a stern-looking lady, with her eyebrows furrowed and lips quirking downwards. She doesn't appear very pleased and the should-be harmless wooden spatula in her hand somehow looks threatening.

"Shikaku. It's past one now. You said you won't be long and you even take Shikamaru with you! He hasn't had lunch, you inconsiderate goat!" the woman scowls, almost snarling in Naruto's opinion. She looks scary and he intuitively knows that she is a mother, Shikamaru's precisely. Because an expression that scary can only belong to a mother. A childish but sound logic.

The afore-mentioned 'inconsiderate goat' isn't the very least offended, even when it's apparent he has guests with him. At this moment, he knows that his wife only has him in her tunnel vision. Shikaku lifts his arms upwards, an effort he usually considers troublesome, to placate his wife. Shikamaru may be used to an angry Yoshino and Naruto may have build resistance to his own mother, but Miruku is young and if she starts crying that's just troublesome.

"I get it, Yoshino. I am sorry. And look, here's Hokage-sama," Shikaku shoves Minato forward not so gently so the blonde is visible in his wife's line of vision. "That's Naruto and his sister, Miruku," he jabs his thumb towards the frozen children, "Kushina is out and Minato is an awful cook. So they are having lunch with us. There's enough seats for three more, right, Yoshino?"

Yoshino blinks as she finally registered the extra presences outside her home, one being the Hokage – _how didn't she see him?_ – and two are his children with one barely a toddler. "Minato-kun! Sorry about this, Shikaku can be so insensitive! Please come in, Naruto-kun and Miruku-chan, right? I cooked enough for you three and I can always add more, so no worries there!" she smiles, looking far kinder and gentler than the demonic appearance she had earlier.

The first one to snap into action is Naruto with his unrivalled sunny grin, "Thanks a lot, Yoshino ba-san! I can call you that, right? And I like your house lots! Oh, and this is Miru-chan, my _adorablest_ imouto!" he chirps, lifting Miruku by her sides to proudly show his imouto.

Miruku doesn't seem to mind being displayed, she hasn't yet a concrete like and dislike and treats everything she experiences to be something new and interesting, unless it hurts of course, then she would cry buckets. It takes only wide, innocent cerulean pools, rosy chubby cheeks, button nose and peach lips and she successfully captures the Nara matriarch's motherly heart.

"Aww! You are so adorable!" Yoshino squeals like an academy student, wanting nothing but to smother the baby girl. She has always wanted a daughter and this one before her is just irresistible! "Can I?" she asks Naruto permission to hold his imouto, looking infinitely hopeful.

Knowing the feeling himself, that of utter adoration for the strawberry-blonde haired baby, Naruto grins and nods, "'course!" he trusts Shikamaru's mother with his baby imouto, Shikamaru was one before and he turns out alright, just lacking in energy.

As Naruto would expect, Yoshino carefully extracts Miruku from him and cradles her in her arms, she's very much an expert. Young Miruku honestly isn't bothered being tossed from a pair of arms to another as long as those she is familiar with are there with her, telling her she is safe. So even when Yoshino is practically a stranger, she gives her a wide gummy smile, earning her another excited squeal.

Shikaku inwardly sighs at his wife acting like a schoolgirl in her age, with a four-year old son to boot. He, however, is too much of a genius to say or even show a smidgeon of his thoughts lest his docile-looking wife turns her wrath on him. It won't do any good for Konoha's reputation if her Jōnin Commander is found incapacitated by his own wife who is only chūnin in rank. And his Hokage would cry, if at least for the inflated amount of paperworks on his desk.

All in all, lunch goes by fairly nice. Yoshino has indeed cooked enough and she is not below making more to fill Naruto's huge appetite, in fact, she is pleased with the amount he eats as she has been trying to get her own son to fill in more. Miruku's baby-food is also easy to make, exactly according to the recipe Kushina left her husband. Said husband is able to recite the entirety of the recipe which was lost in his failed attempt of creating it.

Soon after lunch, Shikaku settles down by the porch for a game of shōgi, he usually plays Shikamaru who is always eager. This time though, with the addition of their guests, they decide to switch things a bit: Shikaku vs. Minato and Shikamaru vs. Naruto. The Uzumaki isn't too happy about that so he makes a compromise, if they allow him to play on the Nara forest's outskirts as the _old men_ do their game, he will play that shōgi game after they finished. Since Shikamaru is interested in the match the two adults are playing, he agrees.

Naruto runs around the clearing, occasionally stopping so Miruku can catch up to him, crawling determinedly fast as her Onii-chan cackles in delight at her efforts. It's simple and repetitive but Naruto truly likes the time he spends with his imouto despite Sasuke saying that little sibling is no fun if they can't even walk and run. Still, Naruto is immensely happy whenever Miruku eventually reaches him by her sheer determination even when her onesie is especially dirtied around her knees area.

It warms his heart, fizzy tingles in his tummy that makes him giddy. It's a comfort to Naruto, that Miruku will always be there, following behind him and eventually catching up to him. That even distance and hardships would not hinder her to eventually reach her Onii-chan in the time to come. Of course, Naruto would make the effort to keep them together but if the two of them work on it, then it'd be a whole lot easier. Love is a two-ways thing, right? For now though... it appears from the puffy cheeks and teary eyes, little Miruku has had enough of crawling for the day.

"...I get it, I get it. Don't be mad, Miru-chan! Onii-chan stopped, see? Err, let's just go to Tou-chan?" Naruto scratches his head sheepishly, admitting that he pushed his imouto too hard. Miruku rarely gets upset after all. He picks up the little baby, tucks her in his arms then marches forward to the Nara's house.

Naruto is infinitely grateful that Miruku is easily mollified. A soft caress on her pudgy cheeks and she would stop puffing her rosy, chipmunk-reminiscence cheeks, a light eskimo kiss on her cute button nose and she would no longer be scrunching her face adorably, and so forth. Knowing what makes his imouto flustered and settled is basic knowledge requirement as her Onii-chan.

The Nara forest is greener than most, with lush trees and wide clearing before the thick forests. Naruto likes it here, his house isn't as huge because Namikaze is not a clan and Uzumaki doesn't have a clan status in Konohagakure, so they don't own a compound and the benefits that come with it. They have a backyard where his Kaa-chan gardens but that's about it. He kind of envies Shikamaru for growing up with the Nara forest.

Walking out of the clearing, Naruto is soon greeted by the view of his Tou-chan putting on an expression so sharp, his temple furrowed as he stares at the shōgi board. His opponent, Shikaku appears more relaxed but still is serious for his usual standard. Shikamaru loses that half-lidded gaze he always has, he seems like he's having fun. What's so great about shōgi anyway? It only makes his head hurts, Naruto doesn't like shōgi.

His thought is disrupted by the squirming Miruku, who is determined to latch into her Tou-chan's welcoming lap. Naruto actually grimaces, he doesn't like sharing his imouto with his Tou-chan. Kaa-chan _is_ different, she is special! But Tou-chan is often away, always busy with work. So yes, while Naruto loves and worships his Tou-chan, sharing Miruku with him is an entirely separate matter.

"Twou! Twou! Nii-nii wee gwo!" Miruku wails as she tries to escape her Onii-chan's hold. She wants to nestle in her Tou-chan's lap, it's calling out to her! She wants it now!

Naruto pouts. Why doesn't Miruku feels the same? Doesn't she want to be with him instead? Miruku should like him better, after all, Tou-chan is rarely ever home. _He is the Hokage,_ his Kaa-chan tells him. _It can't be helped,_ she continues. But that's why, isn't it? Tou-chan is hardly home. That's why his imouto seeks Tou-chan more than she does him.

At that thought, his hold on his flailing imouto loosen, allowing little Miruku to cross over directly into her Tou-chan's lap where she proceeds to curl her tiny body in a fetal position like a tired but satisfied caterpillar, fitting herself snugly. The sight alone is enough to fill Minato with unprecedented joy, his whole countenance brightens, making him even more striking to the eyes more than he usually does with his golden-blond hair.

Despite the heartwarming scene sitting before his eyes, Shikaku doesn't stare at them. Instead, he does what he does best and takes advantage of his Hokage's distracted state. It's _not_ petty. It's that he is a good father to Shikamaru when he is bothered enough to try and since Shikamaru is so looking forward to his match with Naruto, he simply must end this game **ASAP**.

As such, five moves in from not-petty-Shikaku and four moves in from unfocused-Hokage...

" _Otē_ ," the Nara ends the game grinning like a cat who catches the canary.

"..."

"..."

"...Ah. I... lost," Minato slumps heavily, as if the world itself fell on his back.

He lost. Namikaze Minato, Kohoha's Yellow Flash, Yondaime Hokage, The Only Known Man to have a Flee-on-sight order in every nation's Bingo Book, lost. It's not even a good conclusion. He actually lost his concentration at the most critical point in the match, costing him the entire game. Worst, Naruto-kun and Miruku-chan witnessed the whole thing. So uncool.

Naruto is very vocal in his disapproval of his Tou-chan's defeat, his sapphire-blue eyes that mirrored his Tou-chan never seems to be more patronising than it appears now.

"Tou-chan... you are _soooo_ not cool," he drawls the words as long as he could to emphasise them.

Cue to the weight of the whole world crushing down on the poor, _poor_ , blonde.

 **(_O O_)**

That neither of his children bothered with the very much depressed and spiritedly-crushed Minato only serve to plunge him deeper into the abyss of depression. Naruto even took it upon himself to push aside his Tou-chan off the cushion he was sitting on because he needs to sit there as it is now his turn to face off Shikamaru in this headache-inducing game-not-game shōgi.

As if the world itself is crushing down on him is not enough with his own son's dismissal of him, the Yondaime Hokage is then irrevocably betrayed by his precious baby daughter who proceeded to crawl out of his lap into her Onii-chan's lap, who is now seated as he tries to burn the board with only the strength of his gaze so he can avoid playing and getting a not-so-nice headache.

The view is very much amusing for the Nara Clan Head, and if not for the urgent business on hands, he would have loved to let his Hokage be all doom-and-gloom for as long as he could, because Heaven knows he needs the entertainment with how troublesome it is being the Jōnin Commander and dealing with moronic idiots on daily basis. Shikaku can only dream, but he is allowed that in the vicinity of his own imagination at least.

"Minato. Stop being troublesome and get here. We have a discussion," Shikaku drawls, one hand waving about the folder he delivered earlier, it would be nothing unusual if not for the serious undertone he would usually lack when he speaks.

It is a widely accepted statement that a Nara is notoriously lazy and they can't be bothered to do anything remotely close to what they considered as troublesome in their books. However, it also known that when a Nara unshed all those laziness that seems to permeate their bones is motivated enough to get serious, it is when you know that things are not just bad-bad but worse-worst.

Thus Minato snaps out of his theatrics from Namikaze Minato the Father of Uzumaki Naruto and Namikaze Miruku, Husband of Namikaze-nee-Uzumaki Kushina, to Namikaze Minato the Shinobi, the Konoha's Yellow Flash and Yondaime Hokage, the Living Nightmare of Iwa and the Menace of Kumo.

With the severity of the discussion they are about to have, the two highly-acclaimed shinobi move deeper into the house, Shikaku leading the path as the owner of the house, their disappearances went unnoticed by the children and with a silent glance from the Nara Matriarch. There is a room that is extremely secured by multitudes of seals layered over seals that all house of a Clan Head has, and this is where they will have their discussions.

The two men are silent for a while, the tension in the room is so high and neither are ready to break it. Shikaku starts first, as he is the man who compiles those files his Hokage had asked for. He places the folder on the desk with a soft thump before he raises his dark-raven eyes to focus on the cool-and-sharp sapphire-blues. Minato takes out the files from the folder to read them, and with each paper, his countenance only grows white with dread.

"...I have investigated, and I discovered a startling amount of unaccounted children. The numbers are higher in the civilian district, especially children from the orphanages, those without a single relative and less... significant," Shikaku is a father himself, learning that there are children out there, missing without anyone's notice and not even the village is alerted until now greatly disturbs him.

They are children, for Heaven's sake! They are what he and other shinobi are fighting for, what Konoha stands for! To discover this travesty is happening right under their noses and no one else is the wiser, is a failure he will remember and berate himself for, in his lifetime. Their enemies are smart, to move around like this, it means they have more than enough people spread around their midst. Their numbers are anyone's imaginations, and identities way beyond.

 **But This. Has. To. Stop.**

"I have uncovered some suspicious disappearances and death reports as well, children from clans. Fugaku is currently dishing out the harshest reprimands he could to those stupid officers who brushed them aside as simple coincidences because he needs their hands to locate all those odd reports from the archive, which is more like finding a needle in a haystack, really. No idea what would become of them when Fugaku eventually finds them though," Shikaku shrugs uncaringly. Hey, he makes it clear he doesn't deal well with idiots. If those people had actually pick up on the oddness of at least one of those reports, they would be closer to the perpetrators by now.

Ah, the joy. Fugaku had turned the most interesting shade of red when Shikaku points out those moronic officers are the Uchiha Clan Head's own people, ergo, those idiots are actually his responsibility. Their negligences, are his negligences. Shikaku believes that Fugaku will simply be an insufferable bastard for a while after this event and he didn't envy any of those on the receiving ends of his brutal glares and scathing words. Then again, those idiots deserved it.

Minato has always known his beloved Konoha hides a darkness despite her brilliance, but he has never seen so much of her darkness since he is named the Yondaime Hokage. _Is the Sandaime even aware of this?_ With young children of his own, Minato is deathly afraid for Naruto and Miruku.

 _But how about those children who doesn't have any adults looking after them? How scared must they be? And how long has this been going on? One of the file is dated to eighteen years ago!_

This atrocity has to be put to an end, a permanent one. There are people involved in this farce, people with high stations within Konoha, those with connections to not only the hospitals, but also the KMPF. Perhaps even insiders within clans. This... this is scarier than the Third Shinobi World War or any other wars against the remaining Hidden Villages. This involves Konoha as a whole, of traitors in the midst, hidden in the shadows of their own home, coiled and ready to strike.

The silence is more pronounced by the heavy expression on the young Hokage's face. Namikaze Minato has been the youngest Hokage to ever take the mantle and he is currently facing perhaps the biggest problem since Konoha was founded. Not to mention, he has yet the full supports of everyone in the council. Following the successful reformation Minato made regarding Clan Elders, he has more stability and support in the council now, but he also earned himself enemies in the forms of those ancient Konoha Elders and the Clan Elders he decidedly snubbed with his own proposal that is sanctioned for several months now.

Shikaku is aware of what goes through his Hokage's mind, they both know it will be a tough fight, but neither is willing to back down. Shikaku has Shikamaru and Minato has Naruto and Miruku, the other Clan Heads have their own spawns as well. Routing out the traitors won't be easy as it is all about subtlety, more politics than it is about brute force. Not at all like the Shinobi Wars they fought in before.

"I have your back, Hokage-sama. Along with Chōza and Inoichi, no doubt," Shikaku's eyes never left Minato's even when the blonde closed his eyes to think, now his eyes glinted with promise and of a determination that will be fulfilled by nook or by crook. "Tsume will go wild when she is told the news, which is troublesome, but she will be onboard. Shibi will see logical reasoning, and Fugaku and Hiashi can be persuaded to our cause."

"We will get through this, Minato," Shikaku reaffirms and Minato agrees with him, his own blue eyes gleaming, sharp and focused.

They are fathers to wonderful children, and no one will so much as threaten their children in their own home.

 **(_O O_)**

The world is generally troublesome. This is what four-years old Nara Shikamaru lives his day-by-day with. His mother is troublesome, his father is troublesome, getting out of bed is troublesome, and out of the house is even more troublesome. Naruto is troublesome and now his imouto is also troublesome. There's hardly anything that is not troublesome in Shikamaru's book. Shōgi is one, he likes how it makes his mind to relax, focused and not scampering to anything and everything under the sun.

Everything is easy on board, every piece has a role of their own, a rule they must follow. The world is nothing like that, and Shikamaru finds it highly troublesome.

As of now, his current opponent in shōgi is one of those existences who greatly defies the norms and makes it his personal goal to annoy every authorities and generally accepted rules: Uzumaki Naruto.

Shikamaru finds the Namikaze-Uzumaki to be troublesome, oh, the things he had done in the names of pranks and legacy of the Red Habanero. Despite that, Shikamaru stays anyway. The ideas the blonde comes up with is deeply intriguing, definitely creative and nearly impossible to pull, but he always manages somehow. It is the get-away that the blonde always neglects to plan and he is there to fill the role. Their merry band of friends consisted of: Naruto, Shikamaru, Chōji, Sasuke, Kiba and Shino.

They are troublesome, but they chased away some other troublesome, like boredom, away, so he sticks with them. And he can get away with challenging them to a game of shōgi most of the time, so that's a plus in his books. His friends always put new thoughts in his perspective whenever he gets them to play shōgi with him. Naruto, for example, always comes up with a surprising strategy that he doesn't even see as possible, because, that piece is highly valuable, and there are better ways to utilise them. Naruto would then grin, that big, wide, grin of his as he declares loudly, "That's why you didn't see it!".

At the time, Naruto is frowning, the space between his eyebrows is deeply creased as he ponders on where to place the Silver-General between his fingers on the board. He can think of some spots Naruto is likely to place them, but he can never be too sure with Naruto. That boy is the living definition of unpredictable, and thus, troublesome.

Meanwhile, little Miruku does not like the folds between her Onii-chan's eyebrows. She has tried patting them so it would be gone, but it would only be temporary because whenever her Onii-chan's gaze returns to that board, he will have those folds again. Miruku does not like it.

Shikamaru finds it troublesome when Naruto's imouto not-too-lightly pats the shōgi board with her tiny hand, causing the pieces on the board to jump a little, but not straying too much from the spots they were assigned to.

"Ack! Miru-chan, no! Don't do that!" Naruto snaps out from his headache to placate his imouto, no doubts that his cute imouto is getting impatient because it took him so long to place the piece!

Indeed, why should Naruto care where to place the stupid Silver-General anyway? Shōgi is stupid in the first place, why would one move only vertically, the other, one step to all sides, or in this case, three spots ahead: one directly in front and two others vertically and two spots behind: only vertically. This is simply madness!

So yes, Naruto no longer cares where that Silver-General goes. Miru-chan is _soooo_ much more important and deserving of his attention, not some stupid pieces of stupid board games.

Now that her Onii-chan is no longer having those folds between his eyebrows, Miruku is all smiles. "Nii-nii, wee-doo-wuu-see, aa-mee!" she babbles this as her tiny hand points to Shikamaru's general direction.

Naruto is lost whether his adorable imouto is telling him not to be troublesome like a certain Nara friend of his, or if she is telling him to deny Shikamaru something. Of course, there's no way it is the former! Little Miru-chan loves her Onii-chan, so it must be Shikamaru's fault! Oh… _Oh!_ Naruto gets it now, since he has headaches because of playing shōgi, and he plays shōgi because of Shikamaru, Miruku doesn't like Shikamaru, and thus Shikamaru is bad, and troublesome is bad, so Shikamaru is troublesome, that's why she said no!

"Miru-chan..." Naruto sniffles, so touched that his precious, precious imouto loves her Onii-chan so much.

Miruku only offers a tilt of her head, confused at the show of tears, "Nii-nii?"

Knowing to stop his tears so his imouto won't be worried for him, Naruto shoves back those waters and picks up baby Miruku and grins so widely it almost hurts Shikamaru's eyes just watching it, before he twirls the baby girl around as much as he could with his child's arms and strength while loudly proclaiming his endless love and adoration for his imouto.

"Miru-chan! I love you _sooooo_ much!" Naruto's eyes then never left his cute, adorable imouto, and did he mention, cute?

So those stupid shōgi pieces? Shikamaru can place them by himself. Miru-chan needs her Onii-chan!

Shikamaru can only sigh as he knows the game is now concluded because Naruto lost the interest to play. Troublesome indeed, both Naruto and his imouto.

It would be a long long years later before Shikamaru realises that on the match between his father and the Hokage before his own game with Naruto, the Hokage had had his own Silver-General in the same spot as Naruto had, and had placed his Silver-General on the very same spot that young Miruku had patted not-so-lightly at, that had Naruto done he same, Shikamaru might have lost the game because he wouldn't notice the trap until it was too late and Naruto would notice first because he had always loved traps above all else, even in shōgi.

Apparently, the superior genes of the Namikaze-Uzumaki shows up early in one Namikaze Miruku.

 **(_O O_)**

It was quiet in the Namikaze-Uzumaki household, Naruto has gone to bed and Miruku has been asleep not long after they left the Nara's household and has yet to wake since. Thus it is only Minato and his mind, working in overdrive as he contemplates the missing children and the fight he is about to face against faceless enemies within Konoha's own village walls, as well as the consequences of what the internal fighting would cost Konoha because there is no way Iwa and Kumo would let the opportunity slip out of their iron-vice grip.

There are threats from the outside, there are threats from the inside. Outside wouldn't wait to strike, but Inside has been waiting for so long. Would addressing the threats from the inside turns into a disaster as the outside wouldn't wait?

So immersed in his thoughts, Minato doesn't notice that through the gap of the door he left opened due to Kushina's insistence, out of habit and if nothing else, he misses little Miruku crawling in.

Now, baby Miruku is but a one-year old, she has no concept of understanding the cause of whatever it is bothering her Tou-chan, but as a baby, and thus sensitive to emotions, she easily picks up on her Tou-chan's pensive expression.

Thus the young strawberry-blonde baby who has just wake up, pushes herself off the ground to take her very first steps towards her troubled Tou-chan. The steps are unsteady, she toddles unstably than she walks, but the baby girl is her Kaa-chan's daughter and nothing short of stubborn nor determined.

"Twou! Twou!" she calls out, never stopping from taking another step closer, baby-steps they may be.

The childish baby calls alerts Minato immediately, his head snapping so quickly, it's a miracle it stay attached, then his sapphire-blue eyes spots his baby daughter. His baby daughter. Toddling, on her own two feet. Towards him. Miru-chan is walking—toddling—towards him, without anyone's prompting, and steadily advancing on him despite how with every step, her tiny baby body sways about left and right like a dandelion against the wind.

It isn't until the baby girl reaches him and tugs on his pants-leg as she looks up at him with her translucent blue eyes so much like him but lighter in shades, that Minato finally understands, really understands, what has just happened.

"M-Miru-chan... you...you just w-walked... _you just walked!_ You walked! A-And to me!" Minato doesn't know what he sounds like at that moment, he is simply overwhelmed with surprise, joy, excitement, and so many others.

Little Miruku does not mind, she has the famous Uzumaki's wide-grin firmly plastered on her little baby face as she stares at her Tou-chan happily, "Twou!"

From the very start, it is clear that Namikaze Miruku's favourite is not her Kaa-chan nor her Tou-chan, but her Onii-chan and closely followed by her Ka-ka. Miruku's first chaste-kiss has been given to Kakashi before she even understands what such gesture means, her— _officially_ —first word has been _"Nii"_ , for her beloved Onii-chan who always has a smile on his face for her, then the first person she crawls to is her Kaa-chan who is always there with her when she is not spirited-away by a certain silver-haired shinobi.

Minato... has just never been around much. The Hokage's job takes him away from his family, so often and too long. That's why he didn't expect much, because Naruto's firsts has been all Kushina's for the same reason, except his first steps because both of them were there with Naruto. That's probably why he is so surprised, so much that he fails to comprehend what just happened until his baby daughter tugs on his pants-leg.

This... _this_ is what he is fighting for.

"Miru-chan... thank you," Minato gently cradles his daughter, his baby girl, as he crouches down to her level, knees on the floor.

Little Miruku doesn't understand, she is but a one-year old. Miruku enjoys her Tou-chan's affections, and she nuzzles her cheeks against his in return for the warm hug.

The laughter slips out from his lips no sooner after, happy, joyful laughter.

Come hell or high water, no Konoha's children will be at risk from both outside's and inside's threats. No more. Minato will make sure of that.

Naruto will be safe. Miruku will be safe. The children will be safe.

* * *

 _So yeah, how is it?_

 _This chapter has been sitting on my phone for a long long time, and I found the need to finish it. I'll try updating the History As We Know It soon. Hopefully soon._


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